50 Greatest NBA/ABA Players Not In the Hall Of Fame
By Phil Watson
Copyright 1993 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
Taken with the No. 1 overall pick by the New Jersey Nets in the 1990 NBA Draft out of Syracuse, big man Derrick Coleman always seemed to leave fans wanting more. Yet when looking at his career, he was productive for a long time.
Coleman was the 1990-91 Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-NBA selection during his tenure in New Jersey.
In November 1995, Coleman was dealt with Sean Higgins and Rex Walters to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Shawn Bradley, Greg Graham and Tim Perry.
Limited to 11 games in 1995-96 because of an irregular heartbeat, Coleman battled injuries throughout his stint in Philadelphia.
After the lockout ended in 1999, Coleman signed with the Charlotte Hornets, where he had one solid season and two injury-plagued ones.
In October 2001, Coleman was sent back to the 76ers in a three-team deal in which Charlotte acquired Chris Porter from the Golden State Warriors and George Lynch, Robert Traylor and Jerome Moiso from Philadelphia.
Primarily a reserve in his second stint in Philly, Coleman was traded in August 2004 to his hometown Detroit Pistons along with Amal McCaskill in exchange for Corliss Williamson.
But the homecoming was short-lived; the Pistons waived Coleman in January 2005.
In 15 NBA seasons, Coleman averaged 16.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 blocks in 33.2 minutes per game, shooting .447/.295/.769.