Who is saying anything is worse in '12? To me, '12 is an improvement in every way. That's not to say it's as big an improvement as I had hoped for, but it is an improvement nonetheless.

The way the players move in '11 was good - I thought it couldn't get any better. '12 made huge leaps in that area. Player weight and momentum feels perfect now. '12 also has the great feature of true "loose balls" on rebounds. In '11 it was pre-ordained that the person in best rebounding position would get the loose ball. In '12 that ball truly is loose until secured. Post up play is also greatly improved in '12, slashing guards are less effective (rightly so).

The negative about '12, for me, is that Association mode got almost no improvements. There are a few more drills available, and a few polishing touches. That's it. Still the same all-too-easy trade logic, which still allows the user to pile up almost every single pick in the top 5 each year by the third year of their association.

Complaints about Association aside, if you're just looking to buy one, there's absolutely no way you can go with '11 over '12.

I think it all comes down to how you are basically.
Did you grow up watching Magic and Larry? And wanna relive what they did?
Then go with '12.
My player is a lot better in '12 too for all that matters.

they are both good games.
if you play offline and want a nice balance between an open court game and a strong AI/CPU competition, go with 2k12.
2k12 has more in game coaching options, more plays for players, and the open court feel is nice.

2k12 is the way to go

I have both and just play offline head-to-head (either 1 or two-player) games. The only reason I still play 2K11 on occasion is for the Jordan Challenges.

I heard that it's pretty hard to get fast breaks due to speed/quickness being a rating that doesn't have a great deal of weight so even bigger/slower players can keep pace with the fastest. Is this true or has it been patched?