Possible, but I don't think he'd remain as chairman and finish out his contract if that were the case. When Lasseter was in that position, as beloved as he was at the time, they didn't hesitate to cut all ties. I think it's something else. Then again, I could be wrong.
No, but if anything, he was the leader of Disney Animation, probably the most important thing to get right for Iger (since Eisner had bungled it so much). They needed him, but didn’t hesitate to cut him as far as they could until projects completed and he was let loose.