I've been reading this back and forth between several of you and I have come to the conclusion that both sides are right to a degree and wrong as well. Here is how I look at the Rubles driving/respecting shot thing.
We all know enough about basketball that you try to make the person have to beat you with their weakness. For Titus, that is his shot. Teams are going to back off of him and that will make it more difficult to drive to the basket. It will not make it impossible because he will shoot, can make shots and has a great pump fake that works every time. Even if the defender is several feet off of him, as soon as they see the shot fake, instincts take over and they always either leave their feet or roll up on their toes. This allows Titus to get around them. So yes, having an outside shot would help this part of his game, but not having a consistent one will not eliminate his ability to drive.
I look at this from a game by game standpoint. At this point of the season, the scouting of a player is pretty well finalized. There will be some tweaking as the year goes on but for the most part, they are who we thought they were. Titus has to realize that he is going to be given that shot, and while he cannot fall in love with it, it would be a great addition if he could knock one or two down early in the game. That would force the defense to have to play him tighter and thus increase his effectiveness going to the basket. If I'm Mick, I am telling Titus to shoot early and drive late in games.
