I only use "let them play" if it's a game I really want to win and keep my best players on the court until they foul out.
You have to live with the crappy defense if your best players get in foul trouble, though. The only reason BBs gave the option is because people asked for it, not because it is an optimal strategy.
I don't agree with the "feeling" you have because I have often seen guys get 4 fouls in the first quarter and then not foul out until the end of the fourth. Not that you are wrong, just that's what I have seen.
You may be right. I've never really been sure but I've seen a couple of weird cases where a guy in foul trouble will take a bunch of fouls in a row and foul out in a short time period. Could just be a fluke for those games. Anyhow, I asked this question in global a while back and no one answered.
I know that the main reason players foul is their physicality level. However, fouling must be impacted by defensive and offensive skills - at least a little. So if they're defending worse then they must be more foul prone.
On the other hand, when the BBs explained that players in foul trouble defend worse, they also said this is because they're trying not to foul. So maybe they foul less? There is just too much about this game that I don't understand.
Run of the Mill Canadian Manager