I dont buy into root bound plants. I grow 12/12 from seed in 1 gallon pots and yield 2-4 ounces each. Not saying it doesnt exist just saying I have never seen it.
I would probably have totally agreed with you before my current grow. I believe I have experienced it now though.
I've certainly had it in the small cup pots I start my plants off in. Noticed it properly this grow. Left some sugar punch in them for way longer than I usually do (4 weeks) and the lower growth yellowed badly, couldn't throw enough Nitrogen at it in the feed to address it. When I re-potted into the 20 litre pots the entire soil was a root ball (well, that's what it looked like anyway - whole pot was root). Starting to see the same thing now with a 3 week old Kolossus in the same small cup pot - I know Kolossus to be hardcore tolerant to nutes though, so have just thrown some serious 'BioBizz Grow' and 'Bloom Cal/Mag' at it (1.5 times max recommended dose of both) to see if I can reverse the symptoms (really yellow first leaves). A 20 litre pot is waiting for her should it not.
Thing is, the Sugar Punch girls have been vegging for 10 weeks now - 6 in the 20 litre pots - under 250W CFl. They are huge trained bushes. The biggest one is 34 inches wide, and pretty much round now, so that width all the way. They will be getting at least another 4 weeks veg before I flower them under 600W HPS. And it is this which has me wondering if they will become root bound. As I am sure these girls will be 5oz+ yielders and really wide trees by that point.