Sean Deveney is a senior writer for the Sporting News, where he has covered the world of sports since 1999. With the NBA Playoffs currently in full swing, and considering Sean's keen insight of the sport, we're thrilled to provide you with his perspective on the game and on sportswriting in general. To read Sean's columns, you can visit his page at the Sporting News at SportingNews.com/experts/sean-deveney.

Q: Sean, we're huge fans of your work for The Sporting News. In a vast sea of NBA talking heads, you always provide articles that are fresh, interesting and devoid of the banal clichés that tend to bog down most columnists. When did you first develop your love of sports, and how did you know that sportswriting was going to be your career path to follow?

SD: Growing up, I was quite sure that I was going to be the second baseman for the Red Sox. I had a lot of Marty Barrett qualities, especially the slight paunch. But a funny thing happened when I was about 12 or 13. The pitchers started throwing these pitches that moved from side to side. The "curve ball" I believe they called it. That was it for my baseball career. I faked it as long as I could-I could hit fastballs, and if I crouched down really low, I could draw walks. And I was a good glove man. But once they started throwing curves, I knew I was done. So, I thought, "What else can I do to stay in sports?" In Boston, in the 1980s, being a sportswriter was a very, very desirable profession-there were folks like Peter Gammons, Bob Ryan, Jackie MacMullan, Leigh Montville, Will McDonough. They inspired me to want that job.

Q: Do you recall a time when you received flak from a player or coach who didn't like your critiques?

SD: There were a few instances. I interviewed famed Clippers center Michael Olowokandi once, and he absolutely tore into the organization. So, I wrote it. I was sitting with a friend later that week, and I got a call. It was Elgin Baylor. I put my hand over the mouthpiece and very smilingly said to my friend, "Hey, Elgin Baylor's calling me," like I was cool or something. But then Baylor started tearing into me. I went from smiling to utter apprehension in about three seconds. But he was right. I hadn't called him or anyone at the Clippers and told them what Olowokandi had said. I didn't give him a chance to respond. I should have.

Q: On average, how many hours of NBA viewing do you partake in every week and how tempted are you to switch off games such as the Clippers vs. the Grizzlies?

SD: I watch at least a game per day, so, two hours. Sometimes I double up and watch an early game, then a late game when my wife goes to bed. Or I will go to the Bulls game (I live here in Chicago), then watch the second half of a West Coast game when I get home. I do try to keep up with every team, if not by watching their games, then by checking in with scouts to see if there is anything interesting worth watching. But, yeah, Clippers-Grizz in late March... I'm not watching.

Q: What has been your favorite tactic for beating writer's block?

SD: I go back and read something of mine that I liked. That might sound a bit conceited, but I do it to remind myself that I am not, in fact, the worst writer to ever sit at a keyboard. I think everyone who writes for a living feels that at some point. I am not sure I have ever filed a story and thought, "Hey, this is pretty good." Usually, it's, "Well, that's it, they're going to fire me after this one." But then you go back and read and say, "I guess it wasn't that bad."

Q: Can you name the most common misconceptions fans have about the typical NBA player's lifestyle?

SD: The good guys aren't necessarily all that good, and the bad guys aren't all that bad. That's the best way to put it. Very often, it is just a matter of guys who understand how to work the media and work the PR machine in their favor on one side, and guys who just don't know how to work it on the other side. Ron Artest is an example of a guy who isn't all that bad, but just is clueless in terms of thinking before acting (as fans in Detroit know) and putting out a good image.

But, if by typical lifestyle you mean hanging out at clubs, driving very fast cars and meeting random women... that's there. It's available to all these guys if they want it. Probably the only misconception is the percentage of guys who pursue that lifestyle. Some fans seem to think it's nearly everyone. It's probably more like 5-10 percent of players who do that.

Q: This upcoming draft appears to be shallower than a cheap kiddie pool. If you were an NBA GM, would this be a draft in which you would look to trade down (or perhaps scour the international scene)?

SD: Trading down is a little tougher in the NBA than, say, the NFL where you have 53 roster spots and a practice team, or MLB, where you have a minor-league system to stock. It isn't as strong a draft as we've seen in recent years, but there is some talent beyond Blake Griffin, and I'd still like to get myself a Top 10, Top 15 pick in this draft.

Q: If Shaquille O'Neal is traded this offseason, that will be 3 times during his illustrious career. If he is moved, who do you think he'll be playing for and can you recall any other superstar being shipped around so much during their tenure?

SD: Three times is a lot, though in fairness to Shaq, his contract is so enormous that he easily becomes the guy teams want to trade to clear out their payroll sheet. I am sure more superstars would not mind having been traded late in their careers if the cause of those trades was that they were making $20 million per year.

I am not sure he'll be traded, though. Phoenix needs to clear out cap space and get out of the luxury tax area, and if they deal Shaq, whose contract is up in 2010, they'll have to take on longer contracts that will probably only gum up their payroll further into the future. That's the other issue. What do you get for Shaq? Would Dallas give up Josh Howard? Would the Bulls give up Kirk Hinrich and Tyrus Thomas? Would the Hornets give up Tyson Chandler? Hard to say what Shaq is worth at this point.

I think, in the end, the Suns will sit on Shaq for one more year, then take the savings when he comes off the books in 2010.

Q: True or False: Lebron James' numbers would equate to and most likely surpass Oscar Robertson's if he played in the Big O's era.

SD: I think there's no question that he would. You were able to play tougher defense in those days, a lot more physical. But the pace of the game was so much faster-you didn't have the control-freak coaches we do now. Teams averaged 100 points per game this year. They averaged 118.8 in the year Robertson averaged a triple-double. An average team took 80.9 field-goal attempts per game this year. In 1961-62, it was 107.7. So, think about it. Each team takes 27 more shots per game. That's more available rebounds, more available assists and certainly more points. LeBron averaged 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists this year. Speed up the game to 1962 level, and he'd easily surpass a triple-double.

Q: Let's stay for a second on the hypothetical track, and forgive us for asking a question that you've no doubt answered many times before. Imagine if your team was down by one with 10 seconds left in the championship game. If you could select any NBA player (current or historical) to take the game winning shot, who would it be and why?

SD: Lots of good candidates-Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West. But I grew up watching Michael Jordan, and every time he took a meaningful shot late in a game, you just knew he was going to make it. His pull-up jumper was just impossible to stop, especially once he unfurled that tongue and really focused. He faded back just enough to make defense futile. I am sure he missed on occasion, but I can't remember the misses. I just remember the makes. MJ it is.

Q: When the final buzzer sounds, who will be taking home the Larry O'Brien trophy this year and more intriguingly, who's the owner of it in 2010?

SD: I will say Lakers and Cavaliers. I think L.A. just has too much depth right now for any team in the West, and too much depth for Cleveland. They need to get Andrew Bynum going. But they're pretty well stocked. I think L.A. loses Lamar Odom in the offseason, and that depth advantage disappears. They could still win the West next year, but I'd expect Cleveland to take the East and the title in 2010.