It was no longer Saddam's Army by that time - It was becoming the *new* Iraqi Army - And keeping these people paid and off the streets (along with giving them a sense of purpose and responsibility for the *new* Iraq) could have helped tremendously.
The majority (vast majority) of SOF in Country early on were against the plan that was implemented to completely disband the old (defeated) Iraqi Army.
Well perhaps you are right about giving them something to do but the article said "professional soldiers". The fact is most of them didn't want to be in the army to begin with and left on their own accord.
And the officers were the slime of the Baath party for the most part, There is no way of knowing if keeping the army would have made one iota of difference. All this is a exercise in second guessing and revisionism.........