Bill,
In the hypothetical you cite, the USGA would not be the first one's to promote that change.
It is a change with merit, irrespective of the author.
Merion changed a great green for the SOLE purpose of accommodating higher speeds
Your analogy would be more accurate if you asked me the question in the context of flattening any of the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, 11th, 12th, 16th or 17th greens.
Now ask yourself the following question:
If you were designing MRCC today, where would you site the 9th green ?
At it's present location or higher up on the hill, which co-incidentally could create a skyline green ?
As to the trees behind the green, they're already gone.
And they were planted by a green chairman about 40-50 years ago.
With the nines originally reversed, I'm surprised that "THE" Donald didn't have the 18th higher up on that hill.