2011 NBA Mock Draft: Will the Utah Jazz Hit It 'Big' with Two First Round Picks?

2011 NBA Mock Draft Looks at the Utah Jazz With Two First Round Picks 

The Utah Jazz are in a true state of rebuilding. 

The Jazz missed the playoffs only three times during Jerry Sloan's reign as coach, twice losing in the Finals, and had a point guard for the future with Deron Williams.

But in one year lost both the coach and the point guard and face the daunting task of rebuilding without the most important pieces of a basketball team.

Tyrone Corbin is the coach and this is his first gig of his coaching career after playing in the league for 15 seasons with nine different teams.

The compensation for losing Deron Williams is the No. 3 pick in this year's draft, but the Jazz have a tough decision of whether to play for a point guard or a big man early.

 

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Brandon Knight and Kemba Walker will be the point guards available at No. 3 with Jimmer Fredette the only likely candidate to be available at No. 12.

But there will not be a big man like Enes Kanter or Jonas Valanciunas available at No. 12 when the Jazz are on the clock again.

They could also make a play in the trade market for a point guard, but as always, nothing is guaranteed.

Gordon Monson covers the Jazz for the Salt Lake Tribune and mapped out the options the Jazz could go with ultimately concluding with this:

Everything else being equal, going big first sounds like a wise plan. When was the last time the Jazz had a steady force in the middle on offense and defense? Uh ? no, ugh ? never. Is Knight a sure enough bet at No. 3 to ignore that fact? 

Either way, Thursday is going to be a gas, with better action than a Utah-Lakers playoff series. It?s all you?ve got left. It?s a night on which the Jazz actually have a chance, at last, to win and win big.

And Kanter is one of the more intriguing international bigs in recent seasons. He tried to step up to the American college game, showing he had nothing to hide, but was ruled ineligible at Kentucky.

The Jazz will then have a chance, at the very least, to add a player like Jimmer Fredette at 12 or trade the pick away for another young veteran.

Whether they decide to go with a big man or not, the Jazz have to hit it "big" in this draft or they could be waiting a long time for their next postseason.

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