Edy Tavares: From soccer field to basketball court

ATLANTA — Former Atlanta Hawks General Manager Marty Blake is considered the godfather of NBA scouting.
 
He's credited with discovering unsung college players like John Stockton, Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen, all of whom are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
 
But though Blake had a keen eye for scouting talent, it did not take a professional scout or any scout for that matter, to size up a 7-foot 17-year-old.
 
In 2009, a German tourist was on vacation in Cape Verde, an island country 350 miles off the coast of West Africa and spotted Walter "Edy" Tavares in a convenience store.

This tourist called his friend who was neighbors with Himar Ojeda Perez.

Perez, at the time, was the general manager for Gran Canaria, a professional team in Spain, and a good friend of Wes Wilcox.

"I first saw him in practice three seasons ago from quite a distance," Wilcox said. "Practices are typically closed to the public, including NBA personnel, but we got in a practice because of the relationships there, and that was the year before Edy actually declared for the draft."
 
Five years ago Tavares was playing his favorite sport - soccer - and had never picked up a basketball. But, when you are 7 foot 3 inches tall, a professional basketball career is a little more realistic.
 
His wingspan is an astounding 7 feet 10 inches. Think about that: 7 feet, 10 inches from one fingertip stretched out to another.
 
He nearly can lie down in the paint with his left index finger touching the free throw line and his right index finger is nearly underneath the basket.
 
His size garnered the attention of Perez and Gran Canaria, but it was the total package that piqued the Hawks' interest.
 
The core philosophy of Wilcox, who was promoted to general manager on June 30, and head coach/president of basketball operations Mike Budenholzer, is to go after highly skilled, intelligent, competitive, unselfish and hardworking people with character.
 
Tavares fits that mold and the team drafted him with the second pick in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft.
 
"Time will tell where (he) is going to end up," Wilcox said. "I'd just bet on the characteristics Edy is made of to maximize himself as a player. He wants to be good. He works at it and naturally is a very intelligent and competitive person."
 
Tavares definitely has the desire to improve.
 
"I am trying to learn fast and learn how to play fast, because the game is so fast," Tavares said. "As a big man it is difficult."
Learning the nuances of a new league with different rules has its challenges, but Tavares has already won over his teammates and coaches with his desire to be great and the determination to constantly improve.
 
"I used to say, 'I'm the first guy in here in the morning,' but he's beating me every day," says All-Star forward Al Horford. "He's the first guy in, he's working, he's staying after and doing the extra things. He's hungry. I've seen improvement over the summer the short time he's been here. His ceiling is ... I mean Hawks fans should be very excited because he's going to be good player."
 
Teammate Kent Bazemore is impressed with the way the big fella moves in his size 20 Nike's.
 
"To play that the highest level in the game and be able to hold your own, being 7-foot-3, you see some awkward, goofy-looking people," Bazemore said. "But he can hold his own, he protects the rim, he does what he's told, but most importantly he works hard. I respect that."
 
He also respects the way he handles the rock.
 
"You'd be surprised; guys come here with those same big hands and can't catch a cold. Not only can he catch, but he can finish around the rim," said Bazemore.
 
"He's got great touch and shoots the ball extremely well for a guy his size, free-throw lane, mid-range, but he understands he's got to be in the paint," Horford said. "We've been impressed with him."
 
Horford has taken Tavares under his wing, even if that means having to stretch towards the sky to put his arm around him.

Tavares studies Horford's every move and is trying to emulate his game.

"He runs very good, can post up and shoot and is very intelligent," Tavares said. "For me, he is one of the guys I think I can learn from."
 
Tavares' studying goes beyond the NBA playbook. He speaks Spanish and knows who he can turn to for help.
 
"Al talks to me and helps explain the system, the rules and for me it's really good to have someone speak Spanish," Tavares said.
 
"You may just say something quickly and move on where you are confident where the language isn't a barrier for him," Budenholzer said. "It may take a few extra seconds or actually taking him on the court and manipulating it, but the great thing is Al and Tiago (Splitter) have all been speaking Spanish with him and helping him at different times."
 
Tavares is learning English by talking classes and watching American movies.
 
Any movie recommendations, Coach?
 
"'Fletch,' that's always my go to movie," Budenholzer said.
 
Next time Tavares returns home to Cape Verde, he might want to find that German tourist and buy him "a steak sandwich and a … steak sandwich."

WSBTV