| | Associated Press
FORT MILL, S.C. -- Derrick Coleman, sidelined the entire
preseason because of an irregular heartbeat, won't be able to play
when the Charlotte Hornets open the regular season.
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| Coleman |
The Hornets open the season Tuesday night at Atlanta, but coach
Paul Silas said Coleman won't even be examined again by a doctor
until late in the week.
Assuming he is cleared to play during that checkup, Silas said
his power forward would still miss the first four games.
"The plan right now is to keep him on the active roster,"
Silas said. "If you start him on the injured list, he's got to
miss at least five games and we're thinking there's a chance he can
play by the fifth game."
Coleman, the Hornets' leading rebounder and second-leading
scorer last season, has been prohibited from any contact work while
he adjusts to new medication to treat his irregular heartbeat.
The new medication thins his blood. Coleman has been allowed to
work out on his own throughout training camp. But scrimmaging and
contact drills have been forbidden because of the risk of Coleman
bleeding internally or developing blood clots.
Things haven't gone too smoothly off the court for Coleman, too. He surrendered to police Tuesday on traffic-violation warrants, paid an $800 bond and was released from the
Mecklenburg County jail a few hours later.
Coleman, 33, was wanted on charges of driving with a revoked
license and using an out-of-state license while his North Carolina
license was revoked.
The misdemeanor charges were filed after an Oct. 17 traffic
stop. Police let him go, then realized later that Coleman is not
permitted to drive in the state.
Coleman had his license revoked because he refused to take a
sobriety test after an accident last October. He was acquitted of a drunken driving, but under North Carolina
law anyone who refuses to submit to the sobriety test still loses
his license for a year. | |
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