SharePoint Libraries, Folders and Content Types, Oh My!

Great article! I do have a question about folders, however.

I agree that copius and conscious use of content types is key to successful doc management. But can't folders play a part in this? Granted, letting the end users roll their own is a recipe for inconsistency,  but what if you (the BA/Architect) make the call?

For instance, each year, one of my clients generates hundreds of "presentations, etc." that they want to store in a single location. I've created content types that differentiate presentations from speeches from whitepapers, etc. so the end user isn't creating folders for each of these types. But, the doc library will definitely exceed the 2,000 item limit, in no short order.

Wouldn't the use of folders that representing Years (i.e. 2007, 2008, 2009), be a good way to store these documents and still keep them accessible in one location? Is there a better way?