Olympic Basketball 2012: Stock Up, Stock Down for Top Tournament Stars

During the Olympics, the stocks of the top tournament stars are rather volatile. When one poor performance can result in an early exit and no medal, they have to be. 

The group stage is over and the elimination rounds are upon us. 

So, how have the top stars in the early proceedings fared? Have they improved or tanked their stocks?

Read on to find out. 

Stock Up: Andrei Kirilenko

Andrei Kirilenko continues to impress in all facets of the game. 

The versatile forward was a major factor in Russia's win over Lithuania, as he dominated on the glass, played great defense and scored capably. 

The Russians were at their worst when Kirilenko was on the bench, and at their best when he was actively inserting himself into the game at every opportunity. 

He finished the quarterfinal matchup against Lithunia with a line of 19 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, three steals, three blocks and just one turnover. 

Stock Down: Nicolas Batum

Nicolas Batum played solid defense, but struggled with his shot throughout France's loss to Spain in the quarterfinals. 

However, it wasn't his play on the court that pushed his stock down, but rather his actions at the end of the game, when he punched Juan-Carlos Navarro in the groin, then nearly sparked a brawl. 

Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski managed to catch up with the small forward after the contest was finished and had an interesting set of questions for him, as relayed through Wojnarowski's twitter feed: 

"

I asked Nicolas Batum why he hit Juan-Carlos Navarro in the groin. "I wanted to give him a good reason to flop," Batum said.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) August 8, 2012"

"

 

Told Batum some won't think groin shot is in Olympic spirit. Batum: "Do you think if you lost a game on purpose, that's the Olympic spirit?"

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) August 8, 2012"

"

Batum said he believes that Spain tanked final preliminary game against Brazil to face France in quarterfinals.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) August 8, 2012"

"

Finally, I asked Batum if he felt like his punch ultimately gave Navarro a 'good reason' to flop. "I hope so," Batum said.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) August 8, 2012"

As if his actions weren't disgusting enough...

Stock Up: Boris Diaw

While his teammate was busy causing controversy, Boris Diaw was keeping the French squad in the game against Spain. 

Diaw's versatility was on full display during Wednesday's quarterfinal matchup, as the offense seemed to run through him at times. 

The forward's passing skills created shots for his teammates while he scored in a variety of ways from just about everywhere on the court. 

Diaw's final line was quite impressive: 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists, a block and just one turnover. 

Stock Down: Linas Kleiza

Against Andrei Kirilenko and the tough, physical Russian defense, Linas Kleiza just wasn't able to get his offensive juices flowing in Lithuania's quarterfinal exit. 

Kleiza was one of the top scorers in all of the Olympics going into the game against Russia, but after a 1-of-7 performance from the field, that is no longer quite as impressive. 

He struggled to find open opportunities and couldn't connect on the ones he did take. 

While Kleiza's seven rebounds and three assists helped him out, four points just wasn't enough to get the job done. 

Stock Up: Marc Gasol

On an afternoon during which the Gasol brothers were supposed to dominate, it was Marc who stood out over Pau. 

Whether he was hitting the only shot he attempted from behind the three-point arc or playing great interior defense, Marc was a force to reckoned with for Spain as he helped stave off a furious upset bid from France. 

He was a bit sloppy with the ball—no assists and four turnovers—but his efficient 14 points, eight rebounds and constant presence on defense helped make the difference for the No. 2 team in the world. 

Stock Down: Alexey Shved

Alexey Shved had been looking like a breakout sensation for the Russian team during the group stage, and he was making the Minnesota Timberwolves quite happy that they signed him during the NBA offseason. 

That wasn't exactly the case during the quarterfinal win against Lithuania, even though the team did advance and pulled away once Shved started to play more under control. 

Looking for the flashy pass was dooming the point guard in the early proceedings, a major reason why he finished with four turnovers. 

Shved also couldn't hit from downtown, going 0-of-5 from long range and 2-of-12 from the entire field.