The Pistons have been anxiously awaiting the season's first mailbag by MLive. (MLive/Mike Mulholland)

Get your Pistons questions in

It’s here, by popular demand (the two people that asked for it). I present to you my first Pistons mailbag. The timing could be better, considering they have lost five in a row and are 12-20 in their past 32. With any luck, I’ll sound like I know what I’m talking about. If so, maybe this can be like a weekly thing.

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Will the Pistons send Avery Bradley on his way at the deadline or after the season, or will they re-sign him? (MLive/Mike Mulholland)

Is Avery Bradley worth spending $20 million or more?

Q: What will the Pistons do with Avery Bradley? I was excited when they made the trade, but he hasn't had the impact I thought he would. Do you think they'll give him a max deal or trade him at the deadline? – Jack

A: I don't think they'll sign Bradley, especially with Tobias Harris up for a new contract after next season. If you can only keep one long-term, it should be Harris. And who knows if Bradley, who'll command more than $20 million, would even want to return.

They should consider trading Bradley by the Feb. 8 deadline. I don’t think they will, however, if they’re still in the playoff picture, which I expect them to be, with a lot of home games coming up.

So, I think he’ll walk at the end of the season as an unrestricted free agent.

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Andre Drummond has been better this season, but is he All-Star worthy? (MLive/Mike Mulholland)

Any chance for Drummond or Harris to be named All-Star?

Q: What are the prospects for (Andre) Drummond or (Tobias) Harris making the All-Star team. Who do you think will make it in the East? – Jerry

A: The starters were announced last week: LeBron James (Cleveland), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee) and Joel Embid (Philadelphia) in the frontcourt and Kyrie Irving (Boston) and DeMar DeRozan (Toronto) in the backcourt.

There’s a chance Drummond or Harris could be named a reserve on Tuesday. My guess is Drummond would be selected before Harris.

My picks for the backcourt are Victor Oladipo (Indiana), Bradley Beal (Washington) and John Wall (Washington). My projected frontcourt reserves are Kristaps Porzingis (New York), Al Horford (Boston), Kevin Love (Cleveland) and Drummond.

Even though the selection process is the same (12 players per conference), the new format this year sees the captains, James and Steph Curry, pick the teams once the players are determined.

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Kevin Durant and Golden State are overwhelming favorites to win the championship, and that's not a good thing. (MLive/Mike Mulholland)

On parity and post play

Q: What three changes would you like to see (commissioner) Adam Silver and the NBA make for the good of the NBA? – Jeff

A: I'll give you two I can think of off the top of my head, neither of which I expect will happen.

Tweaking of the free agent rules (I have no idea how) for more parity. I don’t like that only three or four teams at most head into the season with a legitimate chance to win the championship. I think it would be better for the league, create more fan interest, if as many as six or eight teams went into a season with a realistic hope of winning it all.

But nowadays with these super teams and players joining forces, there is too great a divide between the few elite teams and the next tier. Nobody is beating Golden State in the West. And despite Cleveland's recent issues, I think the Cavaliers will emerge from the East. So that'll be the same Finals matchup four years in a row. Doesn't seem like a good way to grow the sport.

The other thing I’d like to see is a return of battles between big men in the post. I grew up in the 70s and 80s watching the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Lanier, Bill Walton, Robert Parish, Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing. Nowadays, most big men don't play with their back to the basket, they're more athletic and at the 3-point line.

Would moving back the 3-point line help in this regard? I think there are too many threes being taken anyway. It should be more challenging.

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Stanley Johnson, in his third season, has yet to fulfill his potential. (MLive/Mike Mulholland)

Inconsistent, with limited ceiling

Q: Which do you think is a more accurate portrayal of the Pistons future? An often-injured team that is maddeningly inconsistent in results, with a limited ceiling given no true superstar yet except maybe Andre Drummond and overpaid role players? A young team with potential still not fully realized, who has beaten teams 1 through 4 and 6 from the West (Minnesota twice, Oklahoma City and Golden State on the road) and beat the No. 1 team from the East on the road, and has established a strong home-court advantage? – punster

A: It is puzzling how this team can register huge road wins against some of the best teams and then come up flat against lesser competition, not to mention their combined 0-6 record vs. middling teams Philadelphia and Washington.

Given your two choices, I’ll take the first one: Inconsistent, limited ceiling, no true elite player and little cap flexibility. In other words, not a good situation to be in.

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Dwight Buycks was a two-way player who earned a standard contract from the Pistons. (The Associated Press)

All about two-way deals

Q: Please explain the rules for two-way players in the NBA? Everything from the maximum number a team can have, when called up to their NBA team the maximum length of stay under the two-way contract, their pay scale as a G League player and when call up to the NBA (is it rookie minimum) and anything else involving two-way players. -- Jeff

A: I can tell you teams are allowed a maximum of two two-way contracts, which don't count against the maximum number of 15 roster spots or against the cap.

For more information, according to HoopsHype.com, “A two-way contract can only be up to two years, and no bonuses, extra compensation or options for future years can be included. … A player on a two-way deal can only spend 45 days with their NBA team receiving the minimum salary, which is set at $815,615 for the 2017-18 season. The rest of the 125 days, the player will be paid at the rate of their G League salary capped at $75,000. In a best-case scenario, the salary math works out to roughly around $280,000.”

The Pistons signed Dwight Buycks and Luis Montero to two-way contracts before the season. They have since converted Buycks to a standard contract, released Montero and inked Kay Felder and Reggie Hearn to two-way contracts.

If you have a Pistons-related question, email me at akhan1@mlive.com.