It was a different Derrick Coleman that the Charlotte Hornets ran into Wednesday night at First Union Center.

Playing Philadelphia for the first time this season, they were also seeing their former teammate again for the first time since the Oct.25 trade that sent Coleman back to the Sixers after three seasons in Charlotte. It was a change that has, in the early stages of the season, worked well for Coleman and his new team.

"It feels good to be here again," said Coleman, who had 10 points and eight rebounds in the 76ers' 100-86 victory Wednesday over Charlotte.

That has been obvious in his play. He entered Wednesday's game leading the Sixers in scoring with an 18.9 average. He is second on the team, to center Dikembe Mutumbo, in rebounding with a 10.1 average, the NBA's 10th best figure.

Scoring and rebounding have seldom been problems for Coleman. But his stay in Charlotte ended two seasons before the expiration of his five-year, $40million contract. He reported to training camp fighting health problems and in poor physical condition last season, spent much of the season on the injured list and was relatively ineffective when he did play.