I think he took the easy path. Probably a lot more money, but also he gets to work on sports predictions instead of angering relatively powerful people.
It's up to him to take whichever path he chooses, and he's not morally better or worse for choosing any over another.
Now that MSM has seen what's possible when logic and statistical analysis is applied to journalism, I'd imagine they'll be able to find a team to reproduce or at least mimic what Silver did in 2012.
I really don't think he cares about angering powerful people. He cares about his freedom to work on what he wants, which ESPN has done an admirably good job of allowing Simmons to do with Grantland.
