For now, assistant coach Tyrone Corbin still with the Utah Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY — He interviewed recently for the head coaching vacancy in New Orleans and briefly was linked — though only via media reports — to the opening in Atlanta.

For now, though, Jazz assistant coach Tyrone Corbin has no plans besides remaining in Utah.

"The way it is, I'm here until I'm not here," Corbin, who is under contract for one more season with the Jazz, said Friday. "So, I've always looked at it that way. (It's) a great situation here, and I look forward to continuing."

Corbin — also a candidate in past offseasons for vacancies in Chicago, Phoenix and Seattle (now Oklahoma City) — said he spent a few hours "sitting down and talking about philosophy, different things, different ideas about the team, their personnel on the team, what direction you think (they) can take the team in" with New Orleans brass.

But Corbin wasn't granted a second formal interview with the Hornets, who reportedly have zeroed in on Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau and Portland assistant Monty Williams as their top two candidates.

Corbin, whose list of former NBA teams during his long playing career includes both the Hawks and Jazz, never did interview in Atlanta.

They've instead spoken with four others — ex-NBA head coach Avery Johnson, Dallas assistant Dwane Casey, current Atlanta assistant Larry Drew and ESPN/ABC NBA commentator Mark Jackson.

According to a Fanhouse.com report Friday, Jackson — the ex-Jazz point guard — will interview a second time with Atlanta sometime next week.

Chicago, New Jersey, Cleveland and the Los Angeles Clippers also currently have head coaching vacancies.

Corbin said he heard he's "on the list for a different team," but he hasn't been contacted by any of those four.

At least for now, then, nothing is certain enough that he's even thinking about leaving Utah.

"I mean, you never know. You just kind of go about what you're doing, and then you get a phone call and you go," he said. "That's how I've approached it always. I've never been out seeking anything different. You know, I just kind of got phone calls, and I responded to them."

Corbin also indicated he'd rather return for a seventh season as an assistant to head Jerry Sloan and top assistant Phil Johnson than go elsewhere as a No. 1 assistant.

"I think this," he said, "is the best situation for me right now."

e-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com