Transcript: Blazers G Eric Maynor Interviewed On TrueHoop TV

Kevin Arnovitz of TrueHoop interviewed Portland Trail Blazers guard Eric Maynor, who was acquired in a trade deadline deal last Thursday. Here's a link to the video.

Here's a partial transcript.

How are you?

Happy to be here in Portland. It's been a bumpy three or four days but I'm happy to be here.

Getting traded alters lives

It is. You never know with this league. I think going into every year, if you're not a max guy knowing you're going to be there, you never know with the deadline coming up if someone is going to call for you.

Communication about a trade prior to deadline

Me and my agent had been talking prior to that day any way, certain situations that might happen. I talked to him that morning, he was telling me teams that were in the loop. I think like 15 minutes before the deadline, Sam Presti had called me and told me the news that I was coming to Portland. I talked to my agent after that.

Thunder GM Sam Presti telling you about the trade

Me and him sat on the phone and he kept saying it was hard for him to make that deal, it was hard for him to do it, because we had something going on in Oklahoma with all us young guys there. It was something special. He wanted to give me the opportunity to go somewhere where I could play more. I thought it was good for me.

Logistics of getting your stuff to Portland

First of all, I took like three or four bags with me. I packed up three or four bags. I've got my brother staying in Oklahoma, that's a plus. He packed up all my stuff and took it to his house.

Knee injury

It's difficult. That was my first injury ever in any sport. To have that brace on, it holds you down a little bit. I was happy that I did my testing, had good results and I was able to get out of that brace. I feel like my old self again.

What has coach Terry Stotts' said your role will be?

I've only been here three days, we haven't really discussed role-wise. He basically tells me to go out there and play. Try to stay in pick-and-rolls, defend and play hard.

Terry Stotts' offense

The thing here is you've got a lot of plays but it's a lot of reads, it's players reading each other. He will call a set to get us into something and after that it's players reading each other.

Flex offense in Utah

Every team, it don't matter if you're in grade school or college, you should have a flex offense in your offense. At any time, you're not getting a lot of movement, you can just call that set and get some movement going.

Playing against Russell Westbrook in practice

Going up against an All-Star every day. He's going at you and he's going to defend on the other end. It's good, good work every day. Great person, off the court. People don't understand he's a true competitor on the court. Off the court he's a great dude.

Goal for rest of season

Worry about ourselves. Take it one game at a time. See if we can't get into the playoffs.

Maynor was also recently interviewed on Blazers Courtside. A transcript is here. Maynor's initial reaction to the trade is here. A discussion of his friendship with Wesley Matthews that dates back to their Utah days is here.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter