Dale Davis has decided to return to the Indiana Pacers as soon as he clears waivers, choosing his former team over the defending champion Detroit Pistons.

"Let me tell you, this was so tough for him," said James "Chubby" Wells, Davis' agent. "It was really like splitting hairs. He really liked Detroit, too. He has a lot of respect for Larry (Brown, who coached him for four seasons in Indiana) and Rasheed (Wallace, his teammate in Portland).

"But his relationship with (Pacers CEO) Donnie Walsh and (president) Larry Bird goes back a long way."

Davis expects more playing time with the Pacers than he would backing up Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace and Antonio McDyess in Detroit.