``There was a point in time when I thought I wasn't going to come back,'' Davis said. ``I was telling my girlfriend, `Hey, we gotta pack. It's time to go.' There was a point in time then, but it's so funny how things change so quickly.''

The change became official yesterday with the Celtics signing Davis to a two-year contract. A league source said the deal is worth $6.3 million, with $3 million due next season.

This offseason gave Davis his first taste of the business side of the NBA, and it wasn't an experience he particularly enjoyed.

``It's been tough,'' the power forward said at a press conference yesterday at the Celtics' practice facility. ``I think the most important thing that I got out of it is that it's about becoming the best player you can be. . . . I feel like I've grown up so much this whole summer - just being a professional and just being an adult.''

Davis raised his profile with a strong showing while filling in for the injured Kevin Garnett late last season, averaging 15.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in the playoffs. But with Garnett expected to be fully healthy and free agent Rasheed Wallace added to the frontcourt, Davis will return to a reserve role.

``I feel like my role hasn't changed a lot,'' Davis said. ``I feel like I just have to be ready to go out there and play. If my role is to do whatever I have to do, I'm going to do it. That's the kind of attitude you have to have in order to be on a team like this.''

Though Davis drew interest from a few teams, none made an offer, clearly scared off by the fact the Celtics had the ability to match any offer for the 23-year-old. That reality seemed to be a comfort for Danny Ainge, though the Celtics general manager did jokingly blame Davis for some new gray hairs.

``I tried to talk with Glen and tried to explain to him a bigger picture, but it's tough,'' Ainge said. ``He's living in the moment and from one day to the next it can be a roller coaster. . . . A lot of teams liked Glen in free agency, but we came through. We like Glen more than anybody else likes Glen out there, and that's ultimately what it boils down to.''

Davis could be packing his bags in two years, as he'll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this contract. But yesterday, his focus was on the short term.

``Just to be in here and be amongst all these great players and be around that winning feeling, you gotta love it,'' said Davis, who looked like he had lost weight this summer. ``I'm just glad everything is done and we're finished and we can keep concentrating on winning Basketball games.''

- danduggan@bostonherald.com