Last season during the playoffs was as frustrated as I have been over the substation pattern by the SIM coach. I have never had an example quite as extreme as the one mentioned here. I find the coach will frequently put a player in foul trouble back in the lineup with 5 seconds left in a quarter; and still see the occasional free-throw made after the player has gone to the bench.
By far the biggest change I have seen over the last two seasons is the coach's reluctance to go to the bench. I still use blank lineups and it used to be that when it was time for substitutions all five players would be replaced. Now, it is much more common to see only two or three players replaced in a rotation. It makes more sense, but it is absolutely something that has changed.