The biggest problem with Sampson was that from his freshman to his sophomore year he didn't get better. As is, he was a good player, and we'd be lucky to have another like him. But this staff is here because of the clear flaws we saw in the last one. Let this kid commit to us, and if he redshirts, the staff will have a great chance to show potential recruits that raw players improve with coaching.
Still, it's not all on the staff. The kid has to be a hard worker, and he has to listen. Lavin was far from a skillful game coach, but I seriously doubt he or anyone on the staff told Sampson to grab the rebound and dribble coast to coast whenever you feel like it. Without watching him in the NBA, I seriously doubt the Nuggets would give him a contract if he pulled that garbage in the league. Only Carmelo can pull that shit off and not get benched.