As you may or may not know, when I am not hosting Sports Business Radio, I work with individuals and companies to assist them with their dealings with the media. I've been a so called "PR Expert" for the past 17 years.

I just watched NBA Commissioner David Stern's press conference where he addressed the Tim Donaghy gambling allegations. Many people will weigh in on this crisis today from many different angles. I want to weigh in from the angle of how the Commissioner dealt with this pressure packed Crisis PR situation while going in front of a room full of media members. The integrity and credibility of the NBA is now on the line. For fans, media and sponsors, how the Commissioner performed today was vital to these parties continuing to believe in the NBA.

I can tell you this. In all of my years of watching sports figures, celebrities and politicians face the bright spotlight in a crisis situation, I thought NBA Commissioner David Stern was as graceful as anyone I have ever seen during his press conference today. Next to former President Bill Clinton's State of the Union address (amidst impeachment hearings), Commissioner Stern's press conference today was the best performance under extreme pressure that I've seen - and Clinton's performance was a State of the Union address where he didn't have to take questions from the media afterwards.

Why was NBA Commissioner Stern's performance so good today? Let me give you 5 reasons:

1.) GUTS TO STARE INTO THE BRIGHT SPOTLIGHT - David Stern is the ONLY Commissioner that I know of that would have even had the guts to appear at a press conference today. While NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig are embroiled in their own controversies, those two Commissioners have largely avoided the media by simply releasing prepared statements. They've avoided taking random questions at a press conference from reporters because of the unpredictable nature of what they might be asked. Stern deserves a TON of credit for appearing in front of a media horde today and frankly, I think he's the only Commissioner who is "quick enough on his feet" to handle tough questions on live TV, without the aid of PR people and lawyers advising him and helping him to carefully select his wording - as the other Commissioners are able to do by simply putting out a carefully worded press release or statement.

2.) TRANSPARENCY - Even though this is an ongoing investigation, Commissioner Stern tried to be as forthcoming and transparent as possible today. Any time there is a breach of trust, the public wants immediate answers (think back to the Tylenol scare when the public needed immediate answers). Commissioner Stern tried to provide as many answers as he could today, while letting us know that there could still be further revalations to come. Stern also let us peek behind the curtain a bit when he told us about the league's evaluation process for its officials and let us know a bit about the structure of NBA security (ex FBI and CIA agents, etc).

3.) REMORSE - Commissioner Stern showed remorse today. He said, "the system should have been better" and called this the "worst situation" he has ever experienced in the NBA. When scandals like this occur, people want to see that there is some remorse from the responsible parties. Although Stern says his hope is that this is an "isolated case", he also assumed full responsibility for the fact that one of his league's officials went "rogue" during his watch. As I've advised many of my clients in the past, we live in one of the most forgiving societies on earth. If Kobe Bryant, Marv Albert and Ray Lewis can rehab their images, the NBA can certainly do so if they show some remorse.

4.) CALM, COOL AND COLLECTED - Commissioner Stern was in complete control of the press conference. Not once did he raise his voice or snap at a reporter's question - and he was asked some tough questions today. He was not condescending or flippant. He looked every reporter in the eye when addressing their question and even acknowledged them by name. By being so respectful of the reporters on hand today, Stern was also disarming. As I also advise my clients, "warmth gets you warmth". We're all human and its tough for a reporter to rip in to you or become confrontational if you are warm and friendly with them.

5.) LEADERSHIP - Commissioner Stern gave us every reason to believe that the NBA will survive this scandal and in fact may even be better off because of it down the road with new, more strict procedures in place. When the Titanic is sinking, in crisis, people want their leader to be strong. Even if things look gloomy, they need their leader to give them reason to believe that things will ultimately be OK. Commissioner Stern gave us every reason to believe that the sun will come up tomorrow and it will continue to come up for the NBA in years to come. With Stern's leadership, the league will employ new measures to guard against something like this ever happening again.

Commissioner Stern has appeared with me on Sports Business Radio four times over the past three years. I can tell you that without a doubt, he is his own worst critic. He will not rest until his league is once again held in the highest of regards by the public, sponsors, his teams, league employees and even the media.

I've been an NBA fan since I was old enough to walk. I worked for an NBA team at the start of my career. I've followed the league as closely as I've followed any entity. And I can tell you this. Have faith in Commissioner David Stern. If there was ever anybody equipped to handle this crisis, its him. And he's humble enough to call in experts in areas where he lacks certain expertise.

It may be a while before this all plays out, but I can't think of a better person than David Stern to get the NBA through this crisis.