Preserving the delicate balance that exists in each sports team and keeping players happy inside the club is far more difficult than it seems, and there are some crucial facts you'd like to take into consideration before making a move. Some players are willing to depart for a rival team just because they pay better, while inconsistent result could lead some of your starts to join a winning squad and of course some players will be difficult to acquire because they feel a strong bond between them and the team they are currently playing for. Knowing these tendencies is extremely useful because only if you are fully aware of a player's intentions you can make an appealing offer to prevent him from leaving as well as seizing the chance of transferring a promising player who is discontent with his present team.

Another groundbreaking addition to 2K Sports' latest title is the "Living Roster" which should establish a close and permanent link to the real life NBA competition, providing a steady flow of information towards the game. Weekly updating team rosters is just one of the 2K Insider's job, because this project's main purpose is to relate virtually everything we have in NBA 2K9 to the most popular basketball competition in the world. If a player is struggling than his stats in-game will be decreased, while a significant improvement for other player will automatically trigger a boost making him a potential target for any manager trying to strengthen his squad.

The gameplay remains rock solid, but even those gamers familiar with the controls and attacking schemes should prepare for a challenging experience because the AI is better than ever and there are new commands to be mastered as soon as possible. It's useless to try and weasel your way with a single player, no matter how skilled he is and how good his stats are, because the defensive effort the AI puts up is impressive. The best thing is that the computer controlled opponent will gradually adjust to your style, so passing a lot and waiting for the right moment to shoot is vital. Sometimes players fail to retreat for the defensive play after scoring and unless you work a magic turnover quickly, the AI will have a 5 vs. 4 advantages and he is unforgiving.

Shooting for three points is of course a very tempting option because you no longer have to find tiny breaches in the other team's defense and there is also the possibility of scoring an extra point per attack. Nonetheless except for a few players who are equally deadly inside and outside the paint, the percentage of the average player is nothing to shout for and even the AI opponent is smart enough to try blocking those particular sharp shooters. On the other hand the frustrating errors committed by tall players just below the rim are no longer a threat as one will find it easy to make the layup after establishing a firm position.

A very interesting and quite demanding shoot is the one taken from the free throw line, because each player has his own timing for the shooting animation so until you get accustomed with it, there are going to be a lot of points wasted here. Otherwise it's pretty easy to score from action once you receive a precise pass, and a player jumping for a layup will be almost impossible to stop without committing a fault. Players react exactly like they would in real life, shaking heads, arguing with the referee and contesting the decision, but fair play is also on the menu, with players picking each other up after a hard fault.

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