Coleman Linked to Hornets' Woes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) â€” Derrick Coleman rose from the Charlotte Hornets' bench to enter a game his team was leading and the crowd reacted quickly. <br><br>``Don't put him in!'' one fan

Thursday, January 18th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) â€” Derrick Coleman rose from the Charlotte Hornets' bench to enter a game his team was leading and the crowd reacted quickly.

``Don't put him in!'' one fan screamed. ``He'll screw it up!''

Even his coach agrees. The Hornets, winners without Coleman, are losers since the high-priced veteran has returned from early season health problems.

``I don't know what to do with Derrick,'' coach Paul Silas said. ``I'm trying to figure out what to do and right now I honestly don't know. It's getting to the point where there has to be a solution, because clearly this is not working and I've got to find a solution before it gets to be an even bigger problem.''

The problem already has run for a while.

In Coleman's 2 1/2 years in Charlotte, the Hornets are 63-67 when he plays. When the surly forward sits, Charlotte is 35-8.

``I'm not going to comment on the numbers these people keep,'' Hornets vice president Bob Bass said. ``It's not that black and white.''

Because of weight issues and an irregular heartbeat, Coleman has missed 22 games this season. When he didn't play, the Hornets went 18-4, mounted a seven-game winning streak and built a 3 1/2 -game lead in the Central Division.

Since he came back on Dec. 26 â€” the last game in the winning streak â€” they've gone 3-9; their offense has grown stagnant, their defense has been nonexistent and they now trail Milwaukee by 1 1/2 games for the division lead.

When Coleman is on the floor, the Hornets' offense shows little ball movement. Shot selection is questionable, offensive rebounds virtually unknown and defense something that the other four Charlotte players are left to pick up.

It's gotten so bad that when Coleman got up to enter Wednesday night's game against Dallas, the fans at Charlotte Coliseum booed. The Hornets held a double-digit lead at the time but wound up losing 91-90 despite what might have been Coleman's best game this season.

Silas and Coleman had a closed-door meeting earlier this week, but Silas won't say what they discussed.

Coleman refused to comment after Wednesday night's game.

But he told the Philadelphia Inquirer after Monday's loss to the 76ers that he was frustrated with the way Silas has been using him in the rotation. Coleman has been used in a reserve role this season and has made no secret about his desire to be a starter.

``I love coach,'' Coleman told The Inquirer. ``He and I are never at odds about anything. I respect everything that he tells me and what he says. But all the decisions don't fall on his shoulders.''

Coleman also said the Hornets' record with him and without him is misleading.

``I'm damned if I do, I'm damned if I don't,'' he told the paper. ``It's kind of a what have you done for me lately. But it'll all work itself out. It's not how you start the race, but how you finish.''

It's not clear if Coleman will be in Charlotte when that happens, although trading him won't be easy.

He's averaging career lows in points (8.7), rebounds (5.3), assists (1.1) and minutes (21.4). Against Dallas, he was 2-for-3 from the field for 7 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 12 minutes.

Plus, he's in the middle of a five-year, $40 million deal that escalates in value each year. He's owed $8 million this year, $8.7 in 2002, and $9.4 in 2003.

Bass denied reports that Coleman has asked to be traded, and refused to say if there are any ongoing attempts to unload him.

``All that is speculation and it's not going to end until 6 p.m. on Feb. 22,'' Bass said, referring to the trading deadline.