AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the club has signed forward Dale Davis to a multi-year contract. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.
“We are excited to add Dale Davis to our roster for the upcoming season,” said Dumars. “Dale is a veteran presence that has proven himself in the regular season and playoffs. His defensive presence and rebounding will help solidify our bench while his experience will provide added value in our locker room.”
Davis, who spent last season with the Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers, averaged 4.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.07 blocks and 21.4 minutes in 61 regular season games. In 25 games with the Pacers, he averaged 6.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.32 blocks to end the season. Originally selected by Indiana with the 13th overall pick in the 1991 NBA Draft, Davis played his first nine NBA seasons with the Pacers setting playoff franchise marks in all three rebounding categories (338 offensive rebounds, 627 defensive rebounds, 965 total rebounds). Traded to Portland in exchange for Jermaine O’Neal and Joe Kline, he was a teammate of current Piston Rasheed Wallace for four seasons from 2000-2003. Davis returned to Indiana last year and joined Vern Fleming (11), Rik Smits (12) and Reggie Miller (18) as only the fourth player to play at least 10 seasons with the Pacers.
The 6-foot-11forward was a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star Team in 2000. In 13 playoff games last year, Davis averaged 5.3 points (.448 FG) and 6.2 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game. In 121 career playoff games, including a trip to the 2000 NBA Finals with Indiana, he has averaged 7.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.02 blocks in 29.5 minutes.