Ben Wallace returns Sunday to the Palace of Auburn Hills for the first time since leaving the Pistons after six seasons and one NBA championship to sign a four-year, $60 million free-agent contract with the Bulls.

He has faced his former teammates, whom he calls brothers, during a Bulls blowout victory at the United Center in early January. The laughs and hugs shared on that day can't prepare Wallace for what promises to be an emotional day.

"It's going to be crazy," Wallace says. "Every night I stepped on that court, I swore to protect it. Now I have to go in there and try to tear it down. It's not going to be easy. It's going to be emotional.

"I don't know if fans are going to cheer or boo or throw popcorn or throw ice. I know the fans appreciate the things I did. And I appreciate the things they did for me. But I'm the enemy now, so it might be a love-hate relationship. I know this: It's going to be exciting."