I'm always disappointed by the franchise modes in these games. They can't compare to text based simulation games for PC. It's always way too easy to take advantage of the AI to build a dynasty. I don't even need to know the sport to build a dominant team. Football, baseball, basketball, hockey... doesn't matter. I'll easily find a way to fill my roster with all the best players in the league and win 15 championships in a row.
I decided to rent NHL2k8 even though I don't know ANYTHING about Hockey. By my 3rd year I had the best player at EVERY position. Way too easily.
I have the Milwakee Bucks on line one for you...
The problem with the games (no matter the sport) is that it's way too easy just to use logic to rob the AI and build a dynasty. Trading old for young is far too simple. They give you an overall rating (80+ is good... 90+ is great)... and then you just try to collect young players who more often than not will progress into stars... and then once they become stars you trade those stars for young players who will likely become superstars... and before you know it you're 8 players deep with guys rated 90+...
It's also usually pretty easy to manipulate the AI to trade you coveted draft picks.
And it's also usually pretty easy to sign solid players only to trade them the next day for young prospects that will become key guys on your team.
Example: You'd see someone like Chris Webber as a free agent rated 82 for some reason. For some reason he's willing to sign with your team for the league minimum. You sign him to the league minimum... and immediately trade him for some rookie rated 73... who within 4 years is rated a 85... and then you trade him for a rookie 79 who within 3 years is a 89... and then trade him for a rookie 82 who within 3 years is the best player in the league. Thus... you just turned nothing into the best player in the league.
I've been able to take advantage of basically every console sports game using that same kind of manipulation. It's too bad. Still fun... but too bad 
So since every console franchise mode basically stinks, I usually just do intentionally silly stuff to make it interesting. Like I take over the Knicks and trade for Shaq... to give the imaginary New York fans something to care about.
Well if you're just simming all the games and are on the 'build a champion in 10 years' plan, that would work out fine.
Personally, i enjoy getting my roster to consist of certian players i enjoy watching/rooting for and playing it through with them. I'd rather take my chances playing with a Rodney Carney, knowing his rating will never get above 80ish, rather than stacking my roster with computer generated characters who are a little better.
I like the sim aspect. What I'm saying is... within 2-3 years of simming/trading/drafting I can turn any team into a dynasty that never loses. They are always way too easy. If i were to sit down with a dev team regarding "Franchise mode", there would be a massive list of things I'd have them address.
Top of the list: Give the computer better sense at evaluating the draft and how many players deep it is. If there are 5 legit future stars in the draft... there should be no way in hell they'll trade a top 5 pick. Even if the offer is a #6 pick and a future 1st rounder.
Give the computer a better sense of evaluating player potential. 95% of the computer generated players improve over the years in these games. If they have a guy with an overall rating of 75 but he's 20 years old, the computer should have enough sense to realize that by the time that kid is 25, he'll probably be an allstar. Thus... they shouldn't trade him for a 32 year old with an 82 rating. Just give the computer the ability to cheat and project how high his overall rating will eventually be... and then weigh that against what they are trading for and how much the other player will decline within the next 5-10 years.
With that said... the computer should almost always avoid trading young for old unless the "old" is a guy who is a superstar (KG, for example) and the team is in a position to win a title. The game shouldn't allow you to trade Allen Iverson for Greg Oden/Kevin Durant just because Iverson is 90+ and Oden/Durant start off with meager ratings as rookies.
Include a lot more of the actual rules that impact the dynamics of running a franchise. If you trade for someone you can't then trade him 2 days later. If you sign a free agent you can't then package him with two other players THAT SAME DAY in a trade.
That's just the stuff they should have fixed 7 years ago. There are a ton of other things... and some more advanced things that make every "Franchise mode" a big disappointment.
Some of those text-based computer games like Fast Break Basketball or Draft Day Sports Pro Basketball do a better job at some of those things and are usually far more advanced statistically and with drafting/trading/scouting etc. What I don't get is this... I remember years ago (probably like 2001) there were a few popular baseball games like Triple Play, but High Heat Baseball had enough sense to just go out and purchase the stats engine from a test-based computer game and make it the basis for their franchise mode. I think it was baseball mogul or something. It suddenly made High Heat Baseball by far the best baseball game out there. I don't get why NBA Live or 2k8 doesn't just go out and buy one of the successful text-based games and use it as their franchise mode. It would improve the game drastically.
