Dyson Daniels getting Most Improved kind of feels like that time when everybody knew that Ben Gordon was going to get jobbed out of Rookie of the Year, so they gave him Sixth Man instead.
Continuity for the sake of continuity is not wise. Vivek gave a new contract to Mike Brown for continuity despite declining returns. It was Brown who didn't keep up his end of the deal. To put into perspective, a rookie interim coach outperformed him under worse circumstances.
Not a fan of long contracts (see Monty Williams). Six years is an eternity in the NBA. Hardy will likely be fired before the contract ends. It's easy to satisfy expectations when the team is in perpetual rebuild mode while waiting to hit on a franchise guy in the lottery. He's rewarded for being a successful tank commander but can he win if & when they get the right pieces? Playoffs expectations and performance are a different beast. Why hand out a lengthy contract for a guy before evaluating playoff performance?