The basketball titles are quite good this season. Not a clunker in the bunch.
NBA 2K9: This year's 2K basketball is just a tad sluggish, even if you change the settings to speed up the game. The interface for choosing teams and seasons is confusing and cluttered. But those are constructive criticisms for an otherwise very good game offline and online (though 2K8 was closer to perfect).
NBA Live 09: This might be the basketball winner this season. It offers an impeccable NBA experience, so much so that if you hook it up online, all of the game's players will be updated based on real NBA stats. That's incredible. The gaming (offline and online) is much improved over last year, though buttons are still a little slow to respond, particularly when you want to swat defensively at a ball. It's great, though.
NBA 09: The Inside: The game play is fluid, easy and uncomplicated. And you can create players from scratch, shaping foreheads and facial hair, and earning points to improve your jump shots and, uh, tattoos. You can take part in beat-the-goal sub-games as well. Perfect for light-casual gamers.