'I Am the Original Stretch-Four': Derrick Coleman Relives His Days with the Nets

"I loved bringing the ball up the floor. I think I am the original stretch-four. I look at what guys are doing today and im like, 'I was doing that 20 years ago'," Coleman said. "I always loved to go in the post too and just try to punish guys. I always looked at the game as if I'm able to score on the low block, they're going to have to double-team me. Then my teammates are going to get a easier shot."

While Coleman may not have had the three-point shooting ability of some of the more versatile power forwards in today's game, he was definitely a pioneer when it came to larger, more athletic players being granted more freedom as a ball-handler. Instead of just kicking out to a teammate after snagging a rebound, Coleman was often trusted to simply take the ball down the court himself while trying to either create a shot for himself or find an open teammate to pass the ball to.

After being selected No.1 overall by the New Jersey Nets in the 1990 NBA Draft, Coleman went on to become the NBA's Rookie of the Year, earn two All-NBA selections and make an All-Star team during his time with the Nets. Over the course of his five seasons with the team, he totaled averages of 19.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.6 blocks and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 46.1% from the field and 27.5% from beyond the arc.

Coleman went on to play 15 seasons in the NBA, also spending time with the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets and the Detroit Pistons. Throughout his productive NBA career, he totaled averages of 16.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.7% from the field and 29.5% from three-point range.