Solid gameplay, but hindered by dodgy difficulty changes and poor animations.
Let me start by saying that I've played it, a lot. I've played more than one season in the "Dynasty Mode", a simulation of running a club, and with the length of the games at a maximum. So, it is a somewhat addicting game. Even though it annoys the hell out of me, I keep on coming back to it.
Why the low rating then? Because it is a bad game. I have no illusions about that. Players have a force field around them, making the game look like a bizarre contortionist trick, with players jumping on others with what would be about a foot between them. It's this sort of thing you can laugh at easily.
Then there is the difficulty - there are 4 difficulty levels, ranging from Rookie to Superstar. However the only difference between Rookie and Superstar is that in Superstar you suddenly can't shoot, and the opponents, even those with a shooting rating worse than a six year old with no arms, suddenly are Larry Birds out on the court. This is not a skill based change. You just have to hope that your open lay-up goes in (and believe me, it won't), or easy dunk doesn't miss and go straight to the opponent for the exact same dunk to go in down the other end of the court. Actually, the only shot that consistently goes in is a free throw, just because it is governed by skill.
However, it's time to mention positives. There are a lot of options to play with. You can make the game more arcadey if you want, or make it so that it's impossible for you to win by making the game unbalanced (well, more than it is already). There are a lot of game types, from the previously mentioned Dynasty Mode, to a regular season, All-Star Weekend, or just a single game. Controls are intuitive and easy to use, if a bit unresponsive at times ("NO Gasol, REBOUND! Not run out of court").
Have a controller on standby, ready to use when you break the first one.