Derrick Coleman (1998-2001)
Acquired ahead of the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, Derrick Coleman spent three seasons with the Hornets. In need of a big man in the wake of Vlade Divac departing, Coleman’s career averages of 19.2 points and 10.4 rebounds through eight seasons were appealing to Charlotte.
Coleman signed with Charlotte in January of 1999, approximately two weeks before the beginning of the season. With such little time to acclimate, he struggled from a statistical standpoint. However, the 1999-00 season would see a renaissance for Coleman, as he was Charlotte’s second leading scorer and their leading rebounder. His strong play helped guide the Hornets to the 4th seed, and while they fell to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs, Coleman led Charlotte in scoring and rebounding for the series.
Unfortunately for the Hornets and Coleman, his 2000-01 campaign became a complete mess. He arrived at training camp overweight and was not taking prescribed medication that was meant to control his irregular heartbeat. This caused him to miss all of the preseason, which in turn meant that he was unable to get back into game shape. All told, Coleman appeared in just 34 games on the season including only three starts, as he registered his lowest scoring and rebounding averages of his career.
Although Coleman appeared to have recommitted himself heading into the 2001-02 season, continued disagreements with head coach Paul Silas and Coleman’s refusal to accept a bench role led to him being dealt back to Philadelphia ahead of the season.
Coleman finished his Hornets career with averages of 13.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 154 games.