Rookie star Emeka Okafor, one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal season for the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, will miss tonight's game against the Jazz.

The forward from the University of Connecticut sprained his left ankle in the final few minutes of Sunday's road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and won't be available for tonight's visit to the Delta Center.

Okafor, the No. 2 overall selection in last June's NBA Draft, is averaging a double-double with 14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.

Bobcats guard Kareem Rush, who also sprained an ankle Sunday, and big man Jamal Sampson (back spasms) both are being called "probable" for tonight.

The Jazz will be without starting point guard Keith McLeod (strained hamstring) for a fourth straight game. Utah, though, is likely to activate uninjured rookie shooting guard Kirk Snyder from the injured list today.

Snyder would take the vacant spot on Utah's 12-man roster that had been occupied by veteran center Elden Campbell, who was acquired as part of the recent Carlos Arroyo trade with Detroit, then waived before ever playing a game for the Jazz.

Arroyo, by the way, had surgery Monday to repair the broken nose he sustained in Detroit's game Saturday against New York.

CAMPBELL DECIDES: Campbell, claimed by New Jersey from Utah last Friday, reportedly has decided to join the Nets rather than retire and forfeit more than $2 million in salary for this season.

The New York Times, however, reported Monday "it is still possible Campbell will file a grievance with the (NBA), challenging the Nets' ability to use their $5 million trade exception to claim him and his $4.4 million salary this season against the salary cap."

Campbell had hoped to re-sign with Detroit after clearing waivers, but New Jersey spoiled that plan.

Nets boss Rod Thorn told the Times he isn't worried about a potential grievance filing: "The NBA says it's legal, and the NBA has top-flight lawyers."

Either way, the Jazz will not be held responsible for paying Campbell's contract for the rest of this season.

WHITE HOUSE BLUES: As a member of last season's NBA-championship team, Jazz center Mehmet Okur was invited along with the rest of the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons to visit Monday with President Bush at the White House.

While he would have loved to have become the "first Turk basketball player in the White House," Okur never did secure an airline ticket for the flight to Washington, D.C.

Instead, he spent Monday practicing with the Jazz.