What I like about BB is that it's easy to pick up but difficult to master. And that's the way it should be. That's the way all great games are.
We just need to remind ourselves that it's only loosely based on basketball, not an actual basketball sim.
Try Dynasty Manger 13/14/15 on iPad or Android for a reasonably good basketball sim. Problem is that you don't get the vs human element.
Actually, thinking about it, they could probably make it even easier to pick up. It'd be interesting to find out the reason for the massive drop in numbers.