Claire Smith of the Inquirer reports that Derrick Coleman has surprised many this season. Many of his ex-teammates in Charlotte were glad to see him go. Many of the fans in Philadelphia cringed when they learned he would play for the Sixers this season.

A lot of people had lost faith in Coleman after last seasons career worst averages of 8.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists. Let's face it. Coleman was a player that just about no one wanted. The Hornets were a much better team with him on the sidelines than they were with him in uniform - a condemnation of the worst kind for the former number one pick. No one wanted Coleman... except Larry Brown.

What Brown saw, what Brown suspected, was that Coleman wanted to win and wanted to win here. Again, Brown had an insight that has proven right. Going into last night's game, Coleman had averaged 34.9 minutes in the games in which he's been able to play. Only Allen Iverson, with 43.9 minutes per game, has averaged more.

The big man is one of those players now being counted on to keep the Sixers on their upward surge. The still-recuperating Aaron McKie is key, to be sure. But so, too, is the man who had a .452 shooting percentage from the field going into the game against the Knicks, the man whose nine rebounds and 14.8 points per game ranked second on the team.

This redemption is nothing short of miraculous. It took the departure of Pat Croce (who nixed a possible Coleman-to-Philadelphia trade earlier in the off-season) for the possibility to even be voiced. It took Coleman to do a 180 from the very bad vibes he was still emitting as recently as last year.

"He hasn't been a surprise to me," Brown said before sending Coleman & Co. against the Knicks last night. "With the new rules, it was vital that we needed a four man who could handle the ball and take the pressure off of Allen defensively. "The shooting percentage, the rebounds, it's been 100 percent positive."