Nicolas Batum Video: Watch NBA Star's Aerial Assault of Australian Team

The NBA is still in lockout mode, but that doesn't mean that NBA players aren't finding ways to showcase their skills on a basketball court.

One of those players is Trail Blazers forward Nicolas Batum, who caused a quite a stir thanks to his mad hops in an Olympic Exhibition game between France and Australia. 

Batum was sitting near the basket when his teammate Andrew Albicy drove to the hoop. The defense converged around Albicy, leaving Batum open. Albicy found him moving towards the hoop, dished him the ball and Batum proceeded to posterize the Australian defender.

NBA players are playing this lockout very smart. They sense that the owners don't feel a sense of urgency to try and get to the negotiating table, much less get a deal done. So they are taking their talents wherever they can to get people to pay attention to them.

The players are staying relevant while the league is still trying to figure out what it wants to do. There is a very real possibility that there won't be an NBA season, or at the very least a shortened season. These players have to find a way to keep their names out there and earn money while they can.

Not a lot of players can afford to sit out an entire season, or half the season, and the best possible move that they can make is taking a deal to play for someone else.

Batum has a deal with SLUC Nancy of the French Pro A League, in addition to his commitment to the French National team.

Perhaps seeing what players like Batum are doing elsewhere, and the fanfare that these players are developing outside the NBA, will help the owners realize that there is a lot to lose if they continue to neglect their union.

But that's the business side of things, and we want to focus on the entertaining side. So sit back, relax and enjoy Nicolas Batum's dunk.