That sounds like the same argument people make about cheap crappy baking sheets versus good ones. Yeah a mixing bowl works but the basket isn't just for holding dough, it lets air hit the sides and helps that skin form right. Did your coworker actually look at the difference in oven spring between the two methods or was he just guessing from the start? Curious if he ever even tried a proper basket once or if he just decided it was a waste before he knew anything about it.

You're talking about the screen getting knocked off by a storm like it's a common thing, but I really don't think that's the main issue here. Most of the time when I've seen birds get in, it's because someone threw a cheap cap on there with mesh that's way too wide, like half inch holes or bigger. A storm might rip a screen off if it's already rusted or cheap plastic, but a good metal screen with proper quarter inch mesh isn't going anywhere unless something hits it dead on. Lots of people just grab whatever cap is on sale and don't check the hole size, and that's why birds push through not because of weather.