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Although they won't start full-scale draft workouts until next week, the Jazz will bring in Georgetown center Roy Hibbert for an individual workout today.
"This is when we could get him in," said Walt Perrin, the Jazz's vice president of player personnel. Perrin said the Jazz would like to bring in Hibbert again closer to the June 26 draft, but that it would be up to his agent.
The Jazz own the No. 23 pick in the first round, with Hibbert an early target in several mock drafts. But Perrin cautioned against reading anything into the early workout with the 7-foot-2 center, owing it primarily to scheduling.
Hibbert averaged 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks this season for Georgetown, which was upset in the NCAA Tournament by Davidson. He originally entered the NBA Draft last spring before returning for his senior season.
Had Hibbert stayed in the draft, Perrin said he believed he would have been a lottery pick. "I admired him for coming back," Perrin said, "and trying to improve himself and trying to win a national championship."
The Jazz are planning to work out several big men in the coming weeks, including Rider's Jason Thompson, Stanford's Robin Lopez and Brigham Young's Trent Plaisted, according to their agents.
Corbin waits
Jazz assistant Tyrone Corbin was still waiting for word Tuesday about the coaching vacancies in Phoenix and Chicago for which he interviewed in recent weeks.
"As far as I was concerned, the interviews went well," said Corbin, who interviewed once with the Bulls and twice with the Suns. He went through three interviews with Seattle last spring before the Sonics hired P.J. Carlesimo.
Corbin said he heard the reports that Doug Collins would be hired in Chicago. The Suns are interviewing San Antonio assistant Mike Budenholzer and Detroit assistant Terry Porter, according to the Arizona Republic.
Okur to face Team USA
The day after announcing an exhibition game against Andrei Kirilenko and the Russian national team, USA Basketball said Tuesday that its men's team also will play Mehmet Okur and his Turkish national team on July 31 in Macao, China, as part of the USA Basketball International Challenge that precedes the 2008 Beijing Games.