Paul Shirley is a columnist for ESPN.com, former NBA player, and published author. His book "Can I Keep My Jersey?" is available through Amazon.com and every other fine book retailer (or you can purchase Chris Demetral's copy with 3 pages missing for twice the cost). You can read his columns for ESPN.com at http://search.espn.go.com/paul-shirley/ and also friend him on MySpace at MySpace.com/PaulShirley.

Q: Everyone here at the office absolutely loves your book "Can I Keep My Jersey?" Rarely do you find an athlete who can display such deft touches of humor, candor and charm. We recommend, no demand, that all of our readers pick up a copy right now... go ahead, we'll wait.

(Checks watch) Those residual checks should be rollin' their way to you any second. Any plans for a follow-up book?

PS: That's a closely-guarded secret. Not really-I just want to build anticipation. It's not what anyone wants to hear, but I'm actually working on fiction. I say that no one wants to hear that because I would groan if I heard that a dude who wrote about his experiences in professional basketball was writing a novel. But groaners should remember that I was a book nerd long before I was a jock. For me, writing fiction might be more natural than hanging out with Jamal Crawford in a locker room.

Q: Our staff recently wrote a heated debate on which band was superior: Guns N' Roses or Pearl Jam. Given your cleverly written piece for ESPN, there's nary a doubt you too would prefer Mr. Roses' warbles over Mr. Vedder's. Is that indeed correct?

PS: Pearl Jam is, of course, the superior band, artistically. But Guns N' Roses is probably the better band, rock-n-roll-ally. I just read your back-and-forth; I would take the side that Rose's voice is better (even if it's only because he has better range) and that the mystique that surrounds GN'R does elevate them. But Pearl Jam has done it consistently for more albums and the songs are, well, more meaningful. I will say that, if I had to choose which I'd like to see live, I'd pick Guns N' Roses, but probably because I never have.

Q: Fact: Michael Jordan wore number 45 with the Bulls when he famously came out of retirement. MJ immediately posted some of his worst FG% numbers (Pre-Wizards naturally) and some say to regain his swagger, switched back to number 23.

Fact: You played for the Bulls during the ‘03-‘04 season and wore number 45. You shot 43.5% from the field and when you played for the Suns during the next season, you switched to number 17 and your FG% rose to 45.5%.

Conclusion: If a NBA player plays for the Bulls and wears number 45, a poor FG% is predestined.

How'd we do with that semi-amateurish syllogism?

PS: Ha. That was very Paul Shirley-ish-taking two things that probably aren't related and making them appear to be. I appreciate it. I can't believe I shot that high a percentage in either place-my philosophy was to shoot it if I got it, which doesn't usually result in stellar percentages. I'm flattered that you took the time to look up those numbers. They're not mainstream statistics.

Q: Staying on the topic of jerseys, how ridiculous are the NBA's "Latin Nights," jerseys? Shouldn't they have at least attempted to get the translations correct (i.e. The Suns should have been Los Sols, the Heat should have been El Calor, and the Bulls should have been El Toros)?

PS: Yeah, seriously. As a Spanish semi-speaker (because I can get along, but I'm not fluent), I was offended. I can't imagine being Hispanic and turning on a game to see "Los Rockets" on a jersey. It seems that, if one were going to go to the trouble of changing the article, he could go ahead and spring for the noun as well.

Q: Being a caucasian player who played pro hoops, you've no doubt noticed that sports writers cannot seem to compare any white player with anyone other than another white player (e.g. "Tyler Hansbrough projects to be a less athletic Kevin Love"). Considering its 2009, isn't it time for these scribes to stop adhering to this practice?

PS: Ah, but it's so easy. And sportswriters are generally a harried bunch-they need shortcuts.

I do agree-it's a little annoying. But in some ways it makes sense because a white players share a similar experience as they develop. They're in a black world and have to learn how to adapt. (I feel like I wrote about this somewhere but I just searched for it and can't find it. Maybe I just dreamed it.) So in some ways, it makes sense to compare Mike Dunleavy Jr. to Luke Walton. They probably had a similar developmental experience and so might be more alike than we realize.

Q: Before this NBA season began, there was tremendous scuttlebutt regarding a large amount of NBA players jumping over to the Euro leagues. Other than a small handful of players, this "mass exodus," never came to fruition. What's your take on what transpired?

PS: The exchange rate was in Europe's favor last summer. It was something like $1.60 per euro; a few years ago it was even. It was economics. It didn't cost those teams as much to make those offers in dollars. Now that the exchange rate has calmed down, I can't imagine that it will continue. If teams could make those moves year after year, the landscape would change, but I don't think that's possible.

Q: While its advantages are obvious for Major League Baseball, the whispers about steroids in the NBA has been nearly nonexistent. Do you think it's possible that due to the nature of the game, steroids or other P.E.Ds like HGH are of no benefit for pro hoop players?

PS: I've pondered that a little and my conclusion is that they probably would help with recovery from injury, but not much with performance. Flexibility is extremely important in basketball-more so than brute strength. It doesn't look to me like Barry Bonds would be able to do the splits.

Q: TNT has decided to start casting "Don't Call Me Shirley: The Fascinating Life and Times of Paul Shirley," who plays you in the lead role?

PS: Fitting in with an earlier question, I think it would fun if it were Omar Epps. Definitely a different take on the subject. If he's not available, we'd have to settle for John Krasinski from The Office. Interestingly, we made a sitcom for Fox based on my writings and, at the time, it wasn't a sure thing that The Office was going to be renewed after its first season. We thought we'd have a chance at Krasinski for the lead role if that happened. Instead, we got a dude who is in Bud Light commercials and our sitcom failed. We did spend something like $3.5 million of Fox's money, so that's a consolation.

Q: What's the best place for your fans to keep up with all of your work?

PS: It's like advertising the Laser Disc, but I'm still a MySpace user. MySpace.com/PaulShirley. Or, I can be found at mysocalledcareer@gmail.com.

Q: We end all interviews with word association. I say "wombat" and you say...

PS: Bombat. Sorry, rhyming is cheating, but the first metal bat my dad ever bought for me for Pee Wee baseball was a black Bombat. It was 30 inches long and weighed, well, too much because it was cheap. But I hit many an opposite-field double with that bat.