Experience shows that reason (by your standards and mine) does not work here!
Most of the time, there are no games with positions available. Why? Because some new players, especially ones with very few points left (because they don't play well, or drop out a lot!), will just join anything and everything that costs them no points. I've been in games where a new player has joined a position with 0 SCs!
The most common reason that players drop out is because their position is hopeless. It was already a pain in the arse that new players could take over a position with <=1 SC and delay the game. Now the delays are way worse.
I mostly play games with large numbers of players. I can see how those who play standard 7-player Diplomacy don't mind, but with 17 or 34 players, an extra delay every time someone NMRs with 0 or 1 SC is just ludicrous.