There have been many lessons to learn from the "Great Recession." But while the message is often clear, we can't always muster the courage, discipline or consensus to act on these lessons.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is about to enter its second season -- the playoffs. And for a Laker fan in Los Angeles, there is much to look forward to. However, the current NBA collective bargaining agreement will end and we will have to witness another battle between the billionaires and the millionaires.

Why can't the NBA learn from other businesses that have successfully maneuvered through economic turmoil to achieve profitability?

Continue reading Chasing Value: The NBA Should Learn from Others

Chasing Value: The NBA Should Learn from Others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, LeBron James, was a stock, would you find it was of any value as an investment? From my perspective, it would not be, unless Mr. James were to make some key moves off the court to mirror his talent on the court. The first thing I would tell him is to SHUT UP!

He needs to recognize that it is only natural for people in Cleveland to feel betrayed after years of support and adulation ended in a sputter, with nothing to fill the void. It is only natural for them to feel even worse after the self-serving arrogant way they were informed during a totally over-the-top television special.

Continue reading Sunday Funnies: Would You Invest in LeBron James?

Sunday Funnies: Would You Invest in LeBron James? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 17 Oct 2010 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading JockStocks: The Financial Impact of the LeBron James Decision

JockStocks: The Financial Impact of the LeBron James Decision originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading NBA Finals: If the Los Angeles Lakers Win, Will Stocks Rise?

NBA Finals: If the Los Angeles Lakers Win, Will Stocks Rise? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With close to 60 million users, Twitter is a force corporate marketing departments just can't ignore. The reach offered by this microblogging platform is profound, and skipping it means yielding digital turf to the competition.

Yet, as the country's major brands have flocked to Twitter, not all have mastered it. Some merely push headlines and deals, while others have used it as a way to open a dialogue with their customers, build relationships and ultimately grow their businesses. A study by The Big Money sought to determine the dozen companies that are mastering Twitter and why they are the masters.

Continue reading Tops on Twitter: 12 companies that are doing it right

Tops on Twitter: 12 companies that are doing it right originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Who has heard about this controversy with a college player dunking over LeBron James? If you haven't, I'll recap the story:

LeBron was at his LeBron James Skills Academy when a pickup game started. Jordan Crawford, a college player at Xavier University (here in my hometown of Cincinnati), was playing when he blew by his defender and then hurled himself at the basket. He unleashed a monstrous two-handed slam dunk, over the top of the hapless defender -- who just so happened to be LeBron James.

Imagine that, Jordan Crawford -- who usually unleashes his fury on the powers of the Atlantic-10 Conference, stepped up his game and dunked on one of the best current players in the NBA. Yes, this dunk alone is enough to make news on basketball message boards -- but why am I discussing it here in JockStocks? Because of Nike's (NKE) reaction.

Continue reading JockStocks: LeBron's dunked-on tape disappears ... is there an ad in the works? There should be.

JockStocks: LeBron's dunked-on tape disappears ... is there an ad in the works? There should be. originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading JockStocks: The NHL is in financial trouble

JockStocks: The NHL is in financial trouble originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 08 May 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Has the economy caused an NBA team to throw in the towel?

Has the economy caused an NBA team to throw in the towel? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Microsoft ends deal with LeBron James originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Most people in the United States and for sure shareholders of losing companies have been railing against executive pay for many years. It is generally agreed the salaries, bonuses, stock options, deferred compensation, and retirement packages have become ridiculous and do not reflect anything other then the "good ol' boy network" operating at its worst.

Compensation committees substantiate their decisions in a fashion that outlines plausible deniability not merit, value or truth. They do not reflect shareholders, employees, or customers best interest. They reflect a tight knit group that has to pay and pay big so that they can get theirs in the next round.

This brings me to the National Basketball Association and its use of the salary cap. We just witnessed an NBA finals where the better team won (Boston Celtics in six games) and that is the nature of the game. It's five on five, the best player does not take every shot and the best player cannot defend the other team by himself.

Continue reading Sunday Funnies: Business should have NBA type salary cap

Sunday Funnies: Business should have NBA type salary cap originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 06 Jul 2008 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Kobe makes 'Final Four' with BUD, ETFC, GM & MCD - NBA still in business

Kobe makes 'Final Four' with BUD, ETFC, GM & MCD - NBA still in business originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) led by commissioner David Stern, Esq. has been a spectacular financial success over the past two decades. Even after Michael Jordan hung up his jersey and people wondered aloud how he could be replaced, the league hardly missed a beat.

Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Steve Nash, Dwayne Wade, Kevin Garnet, Amare Stoudamire, and this year Chris Paul and Dwight Howard have entered the pantheon of NBA superstars adding plenty of excitement. By the time Jordan retired it was over due.

While the NBA has been making money it has been losing its luster in other regards. The brawls, bad calls, and official Donaghy's integrity fall have only served to force Stern to earn his pay working over time to repair the damage.

The current uproar about the officiating is not the result of criminal activity, or lack of effort or skill, or poor eye sight, or planned manipulation. What it is about is a lack of clarity and consistency in the game. No other legitimate professional sport ignores its own rules as blatantly as the NBA.

The most serious are the definitions of traveling or carrying. The words in the book have not changed they are just ignored. I watched Tim Duncan walk from the top of the key taking three long and obvious strides to the hoop and dunk it without a call. Guys spin to the hoop changing their pivot foot all the time. Sure it makes the play fun but it makes the game a sham at times also. It also feeds the misrepresentation of the players as "unruly".

Continue reading Sunday Funnies: Lakers/Celtics -- NBA business success

Sunday Funnies: Lakers/Celtics -- NBA business success originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 15 Jun 2008 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This weeks Barron's (subscription required) talks about The Next Warren Buffett. Of course nobody believes that's going to happen. The headline is cast to grab attention and sell papers, just like mine, but it's not happening: no way, no how!

Continue reading The next Buffett, Elvis, or Jordan

The next Buffett, Elvis, or Jordan originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 08 May 2008 15:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

No matter how much you plan, calculate, speculate and research sometimes you just cannot avoid turmoil and it is going to affect your business. It does not matter what kind of business you're in, you are going to have surprises.

This week when I read Miami Heat forward Shawn Marion out for season with foot injury, I could not help but think how ironic. When the Phoenix Suns NBA basketball franchise traded all-star forward Shawn Marion (and guard Marcus Banks) to the Heat for Shaquille O'Neal I am quite certain that there was unanimity of thought that it was Shaq that would be more prone to injury. He had already missed many games this season and was just coming off an injury right before the trade.

After a very slow (losing) start with the Suns Shaq has done well (ignoring his pitiful free-throw shooting) and they have reversed course over the last ten games. The Suns are still in the same hunt for a Championship they were before, but now with a monster in the middle perhaps giving them greater hope for a storybook ending.

Sheldon Liber is the CEO of a small private investment company and the principal for design and research at an architecture & planning firm. He writes the columns Chasing Value and Serious Money. Disclosure: I do not own shares of the Phoenix Suns or Miami Heat , but I am saving up to buy the Los Angeles Lakers.

Sunday Funnies: Basketball business irony -- Shaq / Shawn deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 06 Apr 2008 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is one of several on business heirs apparent. Let us know in the comments whether you think Jeffrey Jordan live up to the legacy of his father, and be sure to check out the other heir apparent posts.

By Mike Brewster, guest blogger.

Since legendary hoopster Michael Jordan retired for good in 2003, none of the "next Michael Jordans"-- from Tracy McGrady to Jerry Stackhouse to Vince Carter -- have come close to matching Jordan's gaudy stats, six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, or impact on the game (not to mention his poker losses, but that's another story). Perhaps we have to look closer to home to find the real heir to Air Jordan?

Son Jeff Jordan is a freshman at the University of Illinois, and the first thing that strikes you about the younger Jordan is that he earned an academic scholarship to Illinois, certainly impressive but not exactly predictive of a Hall of Fame NBA career. Jeff's stats -- he's averaging five minutes and under one point per game this season for one of the worst Illinois squads in memory -- suggest that he might have been better off playing at one of the schools where he was offered a basketball scholarship, such as Loyola University of Chicago or Valparaiso.

Continue reading Heir apparent: Jeffrey Jordan has some big shoes to fill

Heir apparent: Jeffrey Jordan has some big shoes to fill originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 22 Mar 2008 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

To its credit, G-III has narrowed its losses in 3Q 2007 by almost 60%, down to about $0.05 per share, compared with $0.14 per share a year ago. Net sales for the recent quarter were up 21% to $84 million. CEO Morris Goldfarb was so pleased with the posted loss that was well below what was expected that he has raised FY2007 guidance to $0.90-$0.95 per diluted share based on a $10 million increase in sales to $510 million.

This positive spin does not at all address the problems facing G-III. Are its costs not yet under control? Are its licensing deals structured in such a way that it is difficult to turn a profit? It manufactures team jackets for most major American sports leagues. Surely some of them must be widely popular with sports fans. Yet even CEO Goldfarb admits that sportswear is not yet a "meaningful" contributor to the bottom line. Investors should hope he accelerates his search for meaning and soon.

G-III Apparel Group (GIII): not losing as much money as fast originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 23 Oct 2007 19:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Any experienced investor could give a dissertation on the utmost importance of good senior management toward the success of any enterprise. This seems to be lost on the Boards of Directors of both Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) and the New York Knickerbockers NBA franchise.

Last week the Knicks suffered another embarrassing moment during the reign of Isaiah Thomas as General Manager and Coach of the team. A jury awarded a plaintiff $11,600,000 in a sexual harassment case against Thomas and the Knicks. Thomas has squirmed around in the executive suite for a long time, and after numerous bad trades and draft picks, he let a great coach go only to decide to pace the hardwood himself. After all the wheeling and dealing, it is long overdue for a change at the top of the Knicks organization. My comment comes at the end of a long list of people that have been saying the same thing for years -- but now the feeling is almost unanimous throughout the sports world.

Continue reading Sunday Funnies: The Knicks & Citigroup (C) need a major overhaul

Sunday Funnies: The Knicks & Citigroup (C) need a major overhaul originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 14 Oct 2007 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Business of Sports: Lakers' Jerry Buss is open to trading Kobe?

Business of Sports: Lakers' Jerry Buss is open to trading Kobe? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Microsoft (MSFT) loses top exec in China to NBA originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ticketmaster, the leading ticket sales website owned by IAC/InterActiveCorp (NYSE: IACI) is being sued by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The NBA basketball team accuses the company of anticompetitive and monopolistic practices.

According to the Associated Press, "The Cavaliers allege in the lawsuit that Ticketmaster is trying to prevent the team's Flash Seats secondary-ticketing Web site from competing with the ticketing giant. Flash Seats provides season ticket holders a way to sell and transfer seats electronically _ a system that is superior to Ticketmaster's TeamExchange program, the lawsuit says."

Ticketmaster has also sued the team, claiming that its contract makes the relationship with Flash Seats illegal.

As Doug McIntyre wrote earlier, IAC reported disappointing earnings today sending the stock down more than 5%. But the drop does not appear to be attributable to the Ticketmaster lawsuit.

Zac Bissonnette is a partner and writer for Hedge Funnies, a satirical take on the financial markets.

Cleveland Cavaliers sue Ticketmaster originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.