My logic is not an argument for CCG's success or deserved credit up to the time of his dismissal, but rather that at the time of his dismissal the future looked brighter than what had been accomplished up to that point. Nix not having more time would be data applicable to the past, but CCG giving him the offense with good results the year before his dismissal would be data applicable to the future. CCG's tenure, imo, was good-not-great, could've been MUCH worse but also left a lot to be desired. I think most reasonable people would agree with that. So, again, my point is more about what he could've done had he been able to see it through rather than what he had done up to that point.
We see somewhat of a similar trend with CPJ. He did reap the benefits of very good recruiting by the previous staff early in his tenure here (obviously with very good coaching of his own to help it reach its potential). He then had a major drop off because of a significant talent gap/downgrade for a few years. There were many who wanted him gone, but his early success had bought him more leeway than CCG enjoyed. If we had dismissed CPJ after the '13 season, then we never would've seen the benefits of what he was building come to fruition. Now that he's got recruiting at a higher level and has a better overall coaching staff than he did, we're seeing the opportunity for sustained success with some very good seasons sprinkled in. My opinion is that CCG could've realized a situation similar to what we're seeing now with CPJ.
I also admit this: My personal experience with CCG gives me both more insight and more bias than the average GT fan.