Morning News Links - World Peace trash talks and Linsanity in Toronto?
NBA
The Toronto Raptors are interested in signing NY Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin. He is a restricted free agent. [NY Daily News]
Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh is out indefinitely after an MRI revealed a strained abdominal muscle. [Twitter]
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving is expected to be named the Rookie of the Year today. [AP]
LA Lakers forward Metta World Peace says he won't greet OKC Thunder guard James Harden because, "I don't fist-bump subs." [LA Times]
Dennis Rodman made an appearance at the ceremony to honour Stephon Marbury for leading his team to the Chinese Basketball Association title. A bronze statue of Marbury was unveiled. [Photo]
OKC Thunder centre Kendrick Perkins could return to the lineup from his muscle strain in time for Game 1 tonight against the LA Lakers. [The Oklahoman]
NFL
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says that third-round draft pick Russell Wilson will compete for the starting quarterback position with Matt Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson. [Seattle Times]
Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt may need a second clean-up procedure following surgery to repair a torn ACL and MCL. [Titans Insider]
NY Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora renewed his twitter battle with Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy by wishing him a "Happy Mother's Day" on twitter. [NY Daily News]
Eagles coach Andy Reid says he supports NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's decision to suspend the New Orleans Saints' members of the bounty program. [ProFootballTalk]
Running back Tim Hightower has rejoined the Washington Redskins. [CSN Washington]
MLB
LA Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp left Sunday's victory over the Rockies due to a recurring hamstring injury. [AP]
Boston Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey hopes he will be cleared to begin throwing soon. He is scheduled for an examination with his surgeon this week. [Boston Globe]
The NY Mets are expected to offer third baseman David Wright a long-term contract. [Wall Street Journal]
Colorado Rockies catcher Eliezer Alfonzo had his 100-game ban for a positive drug test dropped after issues arose surrounding the handling of his test samples. [CBS Sports]
Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos could be done for the season after he suffered a torn ACL in his right knee. [Washington Post]
Red Sox outfielder Carl Crawford says he is seven to ten days away from stepping up the pace in his rehab. [Boston Globe]
Oakland Athletics pitcher Grant Balfour was not happy over losing his closing job to Brian Fuentes. [San Francisco Chronicle]
Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks may need a stint on the disabled list to recover from a bruised left hand. [MLB.com]
NHL
Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin of the Washington Capitals will join Team Russia at the World Championships. Nicklas Backstrom will join Team Sweden. [NHL.com]
NY Rangers forward Brandon Dubinsky says he is not yet ready to join the lineup. He has not played since suffering a lower-body injury in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs. [NHL.com]
Phoenix Coyotes coach Dave Tippett says his team, "got beat in every facet of the game," referring to their Game 1 loss to the LA Kings on Sunday. [Yahoo! Sports]
The Columbus Blue Jackets have removed the interim tag from coach Todd Richards, signing him to a two-year deal. [Columbus Dispatch]
Defencemen Kimmo Timonen and Nicklas Grossmann will join a lengthy list of Philadelphia Flyers who need offseason surgery. [Philly.com]
The KHL has introduced a new rule that Russian NHL players returning to the KHL will not count towards their salary cap. This will give KHL teams the opportunity to spend big on players potentially leaving the NHL, like Alexander Radulov and Alexander Semin. [Slava Malamud]
New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur says that NY Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist is "the top goalie in the NHL right now." [The Star-Ledger]
