What kind of franchise gamer are you? How realistic do you like to be?
Obviously, the longer you play a game in a franchise mode, the less like the real NBA it's going to be. You generally have to accept that there's a certain amount of fantasy involved, and deviation from reality. However, while I have changed it up here and there by bringing certain players out of retirement and making my own trades, I like to keep things fairly realistic, albeit not exactly mimicking real life. I've found that too many wacky trades, running with a fantasy draft, or doing something else that's too out of the ordinary ends up ruining my enjoyment when the novelty wears off. I'm not saying they're not fun ideas, just that they're generally not for me. I make my own experience, but I like to ground it somewhat in reality.