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Walter Tavares and his Herbalife Gran Canaria team continue to roll through Euro cup play. Following an 83-70 win last week on the road, Tavares and his teammates only need a 12-point home loss or better to advance to the finals of the Eurocup. With a 20-1 overall record in Eurocup play and still undefeated in postseason play, Gran Canaria will likely set the bar higher than simply securing enough points to advance.
Tavares had 12 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a season-high 4 assists in the semifinal victory. In addition to his production, he only committed 2 personal fouls and had no turnovers in 21 minutes of play. Combined with the 2 victories in the quarterfinals, Tavares is averaging 8.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in the Eurocup postseason while shooting 73% from the field. If Gran Canaria can win their next 3 games, Tavares will be a strong candidate to be named the MVP of the Eurocup.
While Gran Canaria has dominated Eurocup play, the team continues to attempt to qualify for the Spanish ACB postseason. With 5 games left in league play, Gran Canaria is tied for the eighth and final playoff spot with CAI Zaragoza. If Gran Canaria can secure that spot, it would give Tavares at least 2 more opportunities to play high-level competition before taking a break prior to Summer League. While Tavares has looked ready to transition to the NBA for the last couple of months, credible sources are confirming that the Atlanta front office is preparing to bring him over:
Atlanta has intensions to bring over Euro center Walter Tavares next season, a source said. Has flexible NBA outs.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) April 1, 2015
David Pick is one of the more knowledgeable sources on European basketball and writes for Eurobasket.com. His report joined with other reports affirms that Tavares is likely to be a part of Atlanta's roster in 2015-16. What role he plays and who might not be a part of the roster as a result is still to be determined, but Atlanta needs to be prepared to order some longer jerseys. If you want to keep up with Tavares and the Gran Canaria team, LosCrossovers.com provides excellent previews for every Spanish ACB game.