Clippers forward Blake Griffin excited Staples Center - and the World Wide Web - with his dunk against the Oklahoma City Thunder. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Before we go completely gaga over Blake Griffin’s thunderous dunk (or throwdown) over Kendrick Perkins, let’s take a step back and avoid being a prisoner of the moment.

Griffin’s aerial assault on Jan. 30 against the Oklahoma City Thunder was spectacular and deserved all the attention it received the past couple of days. But to proclaim it as the best dunk in NBA history, like many were calling it on Twitter, is a complete knee-jerk reaction and a little farfetched. There was a whole lot of hyperbole going around the Web when Griffin posterized Perkins. Even LeBron James, who has seen or done better dunks in the past, got caught up in the moment.

In case you haven’t seen Blake’s dunk, click here.

Was it the best dunk ever? Before you answer that question, slow your roll and check out these 10 dunks. They all may be equal to or better than Griffin’s slam.

10) BARON DAVIS LOWERS THE BOOM ON ANDREI KIRILENKO AND THE JAZZ

9) SHAQUILLE O’NEAL BRINGS DOWN THE HOUSE (AND THE BACKBOARD) IN NEW JERSEY

8) DWYANE WADE PUNKS KENDRICK PERKINS AND DOES THE CABBAGE PATCH

7) KEVIN JOHNSON POSTERIZES HAKEEM OLAJUWON IN A 1994 PLAYOFF GAME

6) LEBRON JAMES “WITH NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE!” AGAINST THE CELTICS

5) SHAWN KEMP TOMAHAWKS THE WARRIORS IN THE 1992 PLAYOFFS

4) JULIUS “DR. J” ERVING ROCKS THE CRADLE ON MICHAEL COOPER

3) MICHAEL JORDAN SPINS BASELINE AND THROWS IT DOWN ON PATRICK EWING AT THE GARDEN

2) DOMINIQUE WILKINS: THE ORIGINAL HUMAN HIGHLIGHT REEL

1) VINCE CARTER LEAPS OVER 7-FOOT FREDERIC WEIS IN THE OLYMPICS

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Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. (GETTY IMAGES)

USA Basketball recently announced the 20 finalists who will compete for the 12 spots on the senior men’s national team that will represent the U.S. in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Among the finalists are holdovers from the 2008 gold-medal winning team in Beijing: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Carmelo Anthony. Assuming all eight accept invitations to London, there are 12 players fighting for four spots which leaves USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski the dirty task of having to cut star players without embarrassing them in public.

RELATED: USA Basketball selects the 20 finalists for the 2012 London Olympics (July-August)

Injuries will certainly play a big part of the selection process, especially with Bryant (wrist) and Wade (foot). Both have hinted they would love to play in London, but it’ll depend on how their teams finish and if their injuries will get worse should they play through the summer. Not having Kobe or Wade in the Olympics will be a huge blow to Coach K but those two were the go-to guys in Beijing. When Team USA needed a basket in the fourth quarter, Coach K called on Kobe’s number first and then Wade was a very close second. That was evident in the gold-medal game against Spain when Wade was the catalyst in the first half and Kobe closed the deal.

With or without Bryant and Wade Team USA should field a dynamite team in London and be heavy favorites to win gold again. But just like the 2008 team Colangelo and Krzyzewski can’t pick a team based on star power or All-Star game appearances. Talent alone won’t get it done in London, just ask the 2006 U.S. squad that lost to Greece in the FIBA World Championships. The 2012 Olympic squad needs to be balanced and flexible enough to adapt to any situation. The guards must be physical enough to play through a lot of contact because the international referees oftentimes will allow physical play, the forwards have to knock down 3-pointers, and the big men must be quick enough to defend the perimeter.

Here are the 12 players who should make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team:

CENTER: Dwight Howard

Comment: Because the majority of the big men in the Olympics are perimeter oriented, you really don’t need more than one true center. Dwight Howard wasn’t a huge factor four years ago in Beijing and, at times, struggled to guard the 3-point shooters. Hopefully four years of experience will help Dwight adapt to the international game.

FORWARDS: LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Iguodala

Comment: Two years ago in Turkey, Kevin Durant showed the world what he can do in the FIBA World Championships. Now, it’s time for USA Basketball to recognize Durant as the centerpiece of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. Durant has the perfect game to play against international competition. We know about his consistent outside shot (something LeBron and ‘Melo struggle with at times), but what the 6-foot-10 Durant presents is a mismatch at the forward position. He’s too big for small forwards and too quick for power forwards. Iguodala played well in the 2010 world championships, especially on defense. Iguodala can match up against guards or forwards, and his length and athleticism really bothered the great scorers from Europe. Love and Aldridge are better fits because they can knock down shots, which is extremely important in opening up the court for dribble penetration. Love and Aldridge can also play some center if needed, and in some instances Love or Aldridge are probably better options at center than Howard. This means the committee will have the tough choice to exclude Chris Bosh and Blake Griffin from the team. There will be a ton of pressure to add Griffin on the squad because of the excitement and hype he’ll bring to London, but it’ll depend on how many guards Coach K will carry on the roster.

GUARDS: Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Deron Williams

Comment: It will be hard to knock off any of these guards off the team, but if Kobe or Wade decide to pass on the Olympics, then Eric Gordon should be the next man up. Gordon played well in Turkey in 2010 and he has the game and built to play against the rugged competition. One key factor to watch is how Paul and Rose will keep defenses from zoning on them. Teams will gladly give up 3-point shots to CP3 and D-Rose to take away their dribble penetration. Rose was up-and-down at the 2010 worlds because he wasn’t too confident with his jump shot, something he has aggressively worked on the past four years. Coack K also has the option of playing Williams at shooting guard with Paul or Rose at the point, and won’t rule out moving Iguodala at guard to make room for another forward if Bryant and Wade are not available.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

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Blake Griffin soars over the hood of a car during the NBA Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Saturday Night. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

JaVale McGee was robbed! Not to take anything away from Blake Griffin, who had his moments during All-Star Saturday Night, but McGee’s dunks were far more difficult than what Griffin did for the whole event. I’ll even go a step further and argue that Serge Ibaka and DeMar DeRozan had more impressive dunks than Griffin.

I know Griffin was already anointed the dunk champion even before the competition began with all the hype that surrounded him prior to All-Star Weekend, and some of the hype was deserved, but Griffin’s performance didn’t exactly put him into the top 10 of all-time dunks in my humble opinion.

However, McGee’s trick of dunking on two baskets may have cracked my top 10. It’s not Vince Carter good, but it certainly deserves a lot more credit. I mean, the man dunked on two baskets standing side by side. I bet Blake Griffin can’t do that. McGee’s degree of difficulty was far more superior than Griffin’s or anyone else in the competition.

And McGee admitted that Ibaka stole one of his dunks during the early round, which threw off his game plan (that probably explains the poor effort in his final attempt). If the dunk McGee was referring to was anything close to what he was practicing, it would have been nice. Watch the video:

Griffin’s car dunk received the most attention because it was cool, and Kenny Smith certainly persuaded the judges with his Al Sharpton moment when he brought out the choir and riled up the crowd.

Jumping over a car is good, but not great. It’s been done before. Check out YouTube and you’ll know what I mean. I bet McGee, DeRozan and Ibaka could have cleared the hood of the car as well. And besides, Griffin jumped over the hood of the car, which is not the same as jumping over the top of the car, and he didn’t exactly finish with a lot of power and flair.

DeRozan did a dunk he called “the showstopper” was more impressive than Griffin’s car dunk in which he caught a ball with one hand, ducked under the rim and slammed it on the other side in one motion. Ibaka’s behind-the-free-throw-line dunk was more impressive than Griffin’s car dunk, and even Ibaka’s teddy-bear-stuck-in-the-rim-dunk had more flair and creativity.

The dunk contest was lively and entertaining, which is what it should be. More props, more drama. However, I think the judges and the people who were voting on TV and texting were somewhat persuaded by the power of the Blake Griffin hype machine and didn’t give enough credit to the awesome creative dunks by McGee, Ibaka and DeRozan.

If I had to pick a winner, it would have been JaVale McGee. One more look at McGee’s spectacular dunk.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter at: Twitter.com/onemanfastbreak.

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As soon as LeBron James made his infamous “I’m taking my talents to South Beach” statement back in the summer, expectations were so high in Miami that anything less than spectacular is considered a failure.

By his standards, LeBron is not enjoying a most valuable season. But pitted against the rest of the league LeBron’s numbers for the first 40 or so games as a member of the Miami Heat have been rock solid. However, is it good enough to be considered the MVP of the first half of the season?

OneManFastBreak.net Editor and Publisher Joel Huerto picks the MVP, rookie of the year, sixth man, and coach of the year at the halfway point (sort of, more like the All-Star break point) of the 2010-11 NBA season.

Most Valuable Player
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
The MVP award should come down to LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard. James and Wade cancel each other out, Bryant has slowed up a tad, Howard has turned into Rasheed Wallace with his temper tantrums and Amare Stoudemire’s Knicks have fallen on hard times after a quick start. So, that leaves us with Rose and Durant, and in my book, Durant gets the slight nod because he has met or even exceeded expectations while Rose was a late addition to the MVP debate. Durant, the league’s leading scorer at 29 points per game (three points better than LeBron and Amare) is a lock to make the All-NBA first team while Rose may get bumped by Wade and Kobe. And if the Thunder had a better record, Durant would be a cinch to win MVP and we wouldn’t be having this debate.

Rookie of the Year
Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers young gun has turned into the 2.0 version of The Human Highlight Film and his spectacular slams have become a regular on SportsCenter. At the start of the season, John Wall and Griffin were neck-and-neck in terms of rookie hype. Since Wall has been hampered by all sorts of nagging injuries, Griffin has soared over the Wizards star and has turned the ROY race into a one-horse competition. If would be a monumental upset if Griffin, who recently was named to the Western Conference All-Star team, didn’t win the NBA Slam Dunk contest during All-Star Weekend, and he should win ROY hands down.

Sixth Man of the Year
Glen “Big Baby” Davis, Boston Celtics
When Davis was drafted out of LSU, his game was very limited. He relied on his girth and power and couldn’t his a 15-footer even if a box of Snickers were tied to the end of the basket. Now, Davis has shed the baby fat (or at least some of it) and has developed a reliable mid-range jump shot to go with his bully move to the basket. His numbers won’t WOW you (11 points and 5 rebounds), but his value sometimes doesn’t show up on the box score. Without Davis’ contributions, the Celtics wouldn’t have the best record in the East. That’s how much Big Baby has grown up.

Coach of the Year
Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs
Altering a team’s image in one season is nearly impossible, but Coach Pop was able to pull off this minor miracle. After his Spurs were knocked out in the conference semifinals, Popovich knew the Spurs needed more scoring so he revamped the team’s philosophy on offense. The methodical, walk-it-up approach has been replaced by a more free-wheeling offense to highlight the great one-on-one abilities of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Pop also managed to convince Richard Jefferson that he can make 3-points, especially from the corner, which has given San Antonio another outside shooter and unclog the lane for Parker, Ginobili and Tim Duncan. The major makeover is a key reason why the Spurs own the league’s best record.

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Blake Griffin, welcome to the club.

Even before the Los Angeles Clippers could put on their headbands and lace up their sneakers, they were greeted with devastating news when prized rookie, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, Blake Griffin was found to have a stress fracture in his left knee and the injury will sideline him for at least six weeks.

Unbelievable. Griffin was suppose to inject some much needed boost to a sagging franchise and he is rendered helpless with this latest setback.

Rookie Blake Griffin is out six weeks because of stress fracture on his knee.

The Clippers have had the misfortune of seeing their franchise players go down with injuries. Danny Manning, the No. 1 pick in 1988, injured his knee while with the Clips; Ron Harper, a player once called “a poor man’s Michael Jordan,” wrecked his knees when he was with the Clippers; and Shaun Livingston, a high schooler who was tabbed as the future point guard of the Clippers, suffered a devastating knee injury that is threatening his career.

Manning blew out his knee in his rookie season while going for a layup. Though he had a decent NBA career, his knee injury altered his game and some felt he was never the same player after the injury.

Terry Cummings, the team’s No. 2 overall pick in 1982, did not suffer an knee injury but he was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia, a potential fatal disease. Cummings was able to overcome that and posted a decent NBA career.

Livingston suffered the ugliest injury of all. In a game against Charlotte in February of 2007, Livingston went up for a layup and his knee simply gave out. It was later discovered that he tore three of the four ligaments in his left knee and it has taken him two years just to get back on the court. He has played in 12 games since the injury.

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Kevin Durant should be a lock to make the U.S. men's basketball team that will compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championships. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

USA Basketball recently finished a mini-camp in Las Vegas – what better place to hold a mini-camp than the entertainment capital of the world – and the system that Jerry Colangelo put in place four years ago seems to be working like a charm.

Mike Krzyzewski is back as head coach of Team USA and the coaching staff he brought to Beijing is also committed to serving another term with Coach K.

More importantly, the core of the team – Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul and Deron Williams – all have verbally committed to play for Team USA and make a run at the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey.

Barring injury or some unforeseen engagement, the eight studs who led the United States to a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics are back on board, which means only four roster spots remain unfilled.

But unlike in years past when USA Basketball would just take the next available player on the chart, the Colangelo-Coach K way is to find players who will fill a role and complement the rest of the squad.

With apologies to Vincent Thomas of NBA.com, here are four suggestions to start with:

KEVIN DURANT, Oklahoma City Thunder: The second overall pick in the 2007 put on a impressive workout during the mini-camp and is a lock to be the ninth player on the roster. Durant, a big guard (6-10) who can also play small forward, is already considered one of the top shooters in the league even though the former Texas Longhorn is only entering his third season as a pro. He averaged 25 points per game last year and shot an incredible 42% from 3-point range. Having a good perimeter game is paramount in the FIBA game and Durant can definitely fill the role of “Sniper.”

LaMARCUS ALDRIDGE, Portland Trail Blazers: Aldridge is perfect for the international game. He’s a big man (6-11) who can face up and shoot from mid-range. Versatility is really important in FIBA competition. Past Team USA failures can be traced to the inability of its bigs to defend quick centers and forwards. During the 2008 Olympics, Howard and Bosh complemented each because they have contrasting styles. Aldridge is cut from the same cloth as Bosh, and has the game and the demeanor to compete in the big stage.

Portland's Brandon Roy should be a good fit for Team USA. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

BRANDON ROY, Portland Trail Blazers: Instead of going with a traditional point guard, such as Rajon Rondo or Derrick Rose, Roy would be better suited on this team. At 6-5, Roy can play either guard position and is saavy enough to find his shots within the team concept. Rose and Rondo need the ball to be effective neither one has a consistent jump shot to run teams out of their zones. With Paul and Williams playing the bulk of the minutes, Roy is basically just insurance policy in case either PG gets hurt and gets into foul trouble. He is a good enough ball handler to handle the point and, when Kobe or D-Wade start isolating defenders, Roy can easily slide into the SG spot and play off the ball.

BLAKE GRIFFIN, Los Angeles Clippers: To be a good 12th Man on the Redeem Team, you need to have a pair of good, strong shoulders to carry all the luggages for Mr. Bryant, Mr. James and Mr. Wade. Griffin is the man for the job. He’s 6-10, 250 pounds, has super-strong arms and has the Body by Jake. Christian Laettner perfected the role of 12th Man back in 1992 for the original Dream Team. Laettner’s biggest contribution to the team was hauling the bags from the hotel lobby to the team bus.

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The Indiana Pacers have nothing but great things to say about first-round pick Tyler Hansbrough.

The NBA Summer Pro League is the best place to evaluate a rookie, a second-year player or a developmental league player looking for a guaranteed contract. If a player can survive and thrive in the summer league, they will most likely survive and thrive in the NBA. The summer league is where coaches, scouts and general managers get to see their prized rookies during the controlled scrimmages and find out if they scored a home run or struck out in the draft.

There were a handful of first- and second-year players who stood head and shoulders above the rest. They were (in no particular order):

BLAKE GRIFFIN, L.A. Clippers, PF: Named the most outstanding player of the Las Vegas Summer Pro League. In his summer league debut, the No. 1 overall pick scored 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field and grabbed 12 rebounds. Against the Memphis Grizzlies and their top rookie Hasheem Thabeet, Griffin scored 18 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and lowered the boom on the Griz with three spectacular dunks in the first half. He is the most NBA-ready player from the class of 2009. The 6-10, 250-pound man child from the University of Oklahoma has tremendous bounce off the floor and a terrific athlete for a true power forward. He runs the floor incredibly well and attacks the rim with force. The Clippers are extremely happy to have Mr. Griffin and he should complement second-year guard Eric Gordon and PG Baron Davis.As long as he doesn’t get hurt, Griffin is a lock to be the 2010 NBA rookie of the year.

No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin was named the most outstanding player in the Las Vegas Summer Pro League. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

RUSSELL WESTBROOK, Oklahoma City Thunder, PG: The second-year point guard was easily the best player in the Orlando Summer League. The former UCLA standout showed great explosion on his dribble drives and finished strong at the rim. Westbrook was paired with rookie SG James Harden and the two lit up the scoreboard and played like vets. After a solid rookie season, Westbrook is primed for a breakout season and validate OKC’s gamble in last year’s draft.

TYLER HANSBROUGH, Indiana Pacers, SF-PF: The Pacers definitely got their money’s worth with this pick. Hansbrough is a coach’s dream, and Coach Jim O’Brien is gushing about his prized rookie. “The first thing that he brings is intensity and an energy level that very few people that I’ve been around in my life can bring to a practice,” O’Brien said of Hansbrough, who was named to the All-Summer League first team in Orlando.

Stephen Curry will don the Golden State Warriors uniform this season. Curry is joined by his father, Dell (left), and mother, Sonya. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

STEPHEN CURRY, Golden State Warriors, PG: The book on Curry was that he is a lights out shooter with a quick release and unlimited range. What the book didn’t say about the son of former NBA sharp-shooter Dell Curry is his court awareness. One scout at the Vegas Summer League said Curry has “super court savvy” and is “deceptively good getting to the basket.” Don Nelson has been able to find gems in the past (Mitch Richmond, Tim Hardaway, Latrell Sprewell, Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard) and Curry is no exception. In five games, Curry averaged 17 points and made 10 of 29 3-pointers.

TYREKE EVANS, Sacramento Kings, PG-SG: Whether he’ll end up as a point guard or shooting guard with the Kings, one thing is certain – Evans is a player. At 6-5 and 190 pounds, he has the size and the athleticism to get his own shot, creating a lot of matchup problems against smaller backcourts, and he can defend. He’ll pair up quite nicely with 6-6 SG Kevin Martin. One scout said Evans “looked smooth.” Against the Milwaukee Bucks’ summer league team, Evans poured in 33 points and got to the free-throw line 19 times, converting 17 of them. He also added seven rebounds and seven assists. Now that’s a stat line!

BRANDON JENNINGS,  Milwaukee Bucks, PG: The Euroleague experience has definitely paid off for Jennings. The 6-1 left-hander looks comfortable running pick-and-rolls and his body has matured enough to point where he can get in the painted area, set up teammates or score on his own. He averaged 14.6 points and a summer-league best 8.2 assists. His quick hands were also on display, averaging 3.6 steals per game. Bucks coach Scott Skiles has liked what he has seen so far from his future point guard. Against the Sacramento Kings, Jennings scored 13 points, dished out 14 assists and racked up a summer pro league record seven steals.

ANTHONY RANDOLPH, Golden State Warriors, SF-PF: Another great find by Don Nelson. The versatile forward lit up the Vegas Summer League circuit with a then-record 42 points against the Chicago Bulls. However which way you spin it, scoring 42 points is impressive regardless of the level of competition. Randolph made 13 of 22 field goals and 16 of 21 free throws. When asked about his explosive effort, he said he was disappointed he only got three rebounds.

GEORGE HILL, PG-SG, and DeJUAN BLAIR, PF, San Antonio Spurs: The San Antonio Spurs’ youth movement has officially started. Hill, a 6-2 combo guard with freakishly long arms, is a very steady and very smooth player with the potential to be a lock-down defender for Coach Gregg Popovich. Hill plays under control and his facial expression never changes – it’s the Tim Duncan influence. Blair is playing with a huge cinder block on his shoulders, proving to scouts that he probably should have been taken in the first round instead of the second round. The 6-7, 265-pound former Pitt standout averaged 16.3 points, 8.7 rebounds and shot 53% from the field.

CHASE BUDINGER, Houston Rockets, SF: The former Arizona Wildcat was somewhat of a surprise in the Vegas Summer League. The 6-7 small forward showed he can get his own shot and a quick bounce off the floor. He averaged 18 points a game to lead the Rockets and shot 68% from the field and 94% from the free throw line in five games. Not bad for a second-round pick.

HONORABLE MENTION: Anthony Morrow, Golden State – The undrafted guard from Georgia Tech established a summer league record 47 points against the New Orleans Hornets.  DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors – The one-and-done USC guard-forward was coveted by Toronto from Day 1, and he has not anything to disappoint the Raptors. Rodrigue Beaubois, Dallas Mavericks, G: Mavs owner Mark Cuban calls his outstanding rookie from France “Roddy Buckets.” He had a 34-point game against Houston on July 11. Jodie Meeks, Milwaukee Bucks – Another second-round draft pick who played well in Vegas. The former Kentucky sharpshooter led the Bucks in scoring at 19 per game and made 53% of his 3-pointers. Darren Collison, New Orleans Hornets – Hornets coach Byron Scott loves the way Collison plays the game: hard and fast. Jonny Flynn, Minnesota Timberwolves – Not the top guard in the Vegas Summer League, but showed he can handle the point. James Harden, Oklahoma City Thunder – Surprisingly athletic and has the ability to put the ball on the floor and create shots for himself.

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