Chicago Sports Teams Making Moves All at Same Time

With the Blackhawks bringing home the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961 just over two weeks ago, Chicago sports pride was celebrating a team that had been virtually off the radar in Chicago until just about a month or so ago when "Blackhawk fever" hit the city.

You would think that the Blackhawks would stay the course and keep the championship team together, but as we all know that sports is a business and even a fan favorite in Dustin Byfuglien is a sacrifice to the dreaded salary cap.

The Hawks have made two moves in the past couple of days, let me analyze them for you.

1. Blackhawks trade Dustin Byfuglien , Ben Eager , Brent Sopel and a prospect to Atlanta Thrashers for a first-round pick, a second-round pick, forwards Marty Reasoner , Joey Crabb and prospect Jeremy Morin

No joke were all three of these players key to their Stanley Cup run, but Sopel is aging, but let's see what they get in return.

Draft picks are always a chance you take in any sport, but the more you have, the more the Hawks can add to their immense depth and can continue with the youth movement that has been successful for Coach Q and the gang so far these past two years. With a veteran in Reasoner and youngsters in Crabb and Morin, this deal is about even.

Yes, emotionally this is a bad move, but at least Toews, Kane and Keith will be here for a few years.

2. Blackhawks trade Colin Fraser to Edmonton Oilers for sixth round draft pick

This is a salary cap move here, just to compliment the last move and increases the chances for the Hawks to sign their draft picks and who knows if the pick they get in this trade would turn into a sleeper.

The Hawks should still be favored to win the Western Conference and Lord Stanley's Cup. I do not see much of a negative effect from any one of these trades. If you are missing the intensity from Big Buff, look no further than Adam Burish.

The Bulls are making some noise as well, as it is rumored that they are trading guard Kirk Hinrich and the 17th draft pick, Kevin Serafin, for players or cash consideration to be considered.

This cannot take place until July 8th, but if it goes through, it shows to me that the Bulls are going to make a serious run at Dwayne Wade or LeBron James or both. 

I am very pleased to see initiative being taken including firing Vinny Del Negro and hiring Tim Thibodeau as head coach.

Next year may be the year the Bulls make it out of the first round of the playoffs.

The White Sox are making a move of their own, up the standings. Within a week, the Sox have gained six games on the Minnesota Twins and it finally seems like the Sox are back to the way they were supposed to be, beating the teams they are supposed to beat in the Pirates, Nationals and Braves.

The Braves were their toughest challenge during the current nine-game winning streak, including throwing Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson at the Sox.

One would hope that this momentum takes the Sox past the Cubs to claim the first BP Crosstown Cup.