I hope empty-lineups were banned from the game because it eliminates the fun of figuring out the most effective lineups yourself, handing that job over to the bot-coatch. Or then the coatches should be made stupider so that empty-boxing and LCD wouldnt work so well.
I disagree. I put a team together, guards, forwards & centers. Regardless of whether I fill the depth chart, it is those players who win or lose games. The fact is that empty lineups are the best way to get the most out of your team's talent.
Empty lineups actually let the coach's decide much more than is the case when the depth chart is filled:
-the coach selects the starting lineup (always wisely, in my experience)
-the coach evaluates what players are on the court at every whistle, facilitating a far more effective rotation. You will see far more substitutions using an empty lineup. The advantage of this is that your players are fresher than your opponent's. This is the most important aspect of the empty lineup.
Empty lineups are not perfect. Perhaps they can improve them rather than ban them. Once or twice a game, usually occurring while one of your players is on the free throw line, the coach will screw up terribly in mid-substitution (e.g. leave your center at PG). You then have to wait for the next whistle for the coach to correct said mistake.