Unless you share your ultimate destination, FT sages can only give you partial accurate advice. What's the place you were actually trying to get to, and then you'll learn more about whether DEN, LAX, IAH, or SFO offered better options than what you were auto-rebooked onto?
By the way, sked changes are a fact of life with United, when booking more than a couple of months ahead. It's the way they roll - moreso than many other airlines.