It's here my friends. The final day of the regular season. Sad, isn't it? Makes me want to curl into a ball and sob like a child without his Pound Puppy. And then there is the Lakers' literal misstep last night. It will be posted in the Dribbles, but honestly, I think you have to rest your starters if you are in the playoffs. That collective gasp you heard last night was from every Laker fan in America. Until earlier today, every Laker fan will be holding their breath. There is a lot of news today, some good some bad, but we will try to cover it well. I'll make it quick too since the games will be on in a few short hours. Going to be an interesting dust up in the West. Until then, let's get it in. ...

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In order to bolster their roster for the playoffs, the Lakers plan to sign Trey Johnson of Bakersfield in the Developmental League. Johnson, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who participated in training camp with the Lakers, was due to arrive April 12. He averaged 25.5 points in 39 games for Bakersfield this season. He also signed two 10-day contracts with the Toronto Raptors before returning to the Jam, who are playing Rio Grande Valley in the first round of the D-League playoffs. (LA Daily News)

-- Why, you ask, are they signing someone from the d-league this late in the game? Keep reading.

Steve Blake has chicken pox. The Lakers hope he's the only one who gets it. Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest have never had the contagious illness. It takes about two weeks for signs to show. It was not immediately clear if they had vaccines for the illness. The rest of the Lakers have had chicken pox. It is rare for people to get the illness if they've already had it. (LA Times Blog)

-- Really? Chicken pox? This is insane. But as I understand it, they have a quick life span in the contagious stage. So don't worry too much Laker fans. Nonetheless, shouldn't we be sending Steve to hang out in Dallas and San Antonio so their guys get it too and can't play?

Andrew Bynum suffered a hyperextended right knee in the second quarter of April 12's 102-93 win against the San Antonio Spurs when he stepped on DeJuan Blair's foot, causing his knee to buckle. Bynum sat on the floor with his head in his hands for several minutes after the injury occurred but walked to the locker room under his own power. He exited the game with 8:11 remaining in the second quarter after registering four points and four rebounds in 13 minutes and did not return. (ESPN)

Bynum had a MRI April 12 showing he has a bone bruise in the knee. The injury is not deemed to be serious according to the team, and the Lakers expect him to be back this weekend for the start of the playoffs.

Bynum is averaging 11.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and nearly two blocked shots in 54 games this season and has been the key to the Lakers' second-half turnaround, serving as the unofficial defensive captain in the middle. (ESPN)

-- Would you look at that. The Earth is rotating again.

In two more signs the NBA is gearing up for a lockout starting July 1, the league scrubbed its annual Las Vegas summer league and has also scuttled its annual summer internship program, according to league sources. The Las Vegas summer league normally starts around July 9 with upward of 20 teams sending little-used veteran players and rookies to compete during a 10-day period.

In preparing for a lockout, the NBA is also not sending any teams abroad for training camp, and did not schedule any preseason games in Europe for this fall. (NY Daily News)

-- Get ready to play NBA Live: Lockout Addition. It's going to be a ton of fun.

A valet at a Miami Beach hotel filed a lawsuit April 13 against the mother of Miami Heat basketball star LeBron James, claiming she verbally abused and assaulted him while he was working.
About a week ago, Gloria James was arrested on charges of simple battery and disorderly intoxication. The valet, Rock Feller Sorel, claimed she became upset because it was taking too long to deliver her car at the posh Fountainbleau hotel and assaulted him, Miami police said.

Several witnesses supported Sorel's account, and Gloria James had bloodshot eyes and a strong odor of alcohol on her breath. (ESPN)

-- Did you ever know that your my hero? ... Because that's what you are to me, Mr. Valet. A hero, enjoy your settlement.

After receiving a technical foul during April 12's game, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant appeared to direct a homophobic slur toward referee Bennie Adams, but he says his words "should not be taken literally."

Bryant's reaction was caught on camera on TNT's national telecast of the key Western Conference battle with the San Antonio Spurs. After getting hit with the T, he stormed to the bench, hit his seat before sitting down, threw a towel and then yelled, "Bennie!" toward the court. Bryant then leaned back and muttered what appeared to be a gay slur.

Bryant issued a statement Wednesday afternoon: "What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period. The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone."

The video from Tuesday's game "is under review" by the NBA, league spokesman Tim Frank said to ESPNLosAngeles.

-- In a follow-up, Kobe was fined 100,000 for the slur toward the officials, a pretty hefty fine for something we know gets said every day on the court. Listen, we know he got caught doing it. That's the issue. But you could catch a guy saying this in every game so I'm wondering why it's a huge issue here. Anyone who is on Twitter knows this blew up like a Michael Bay movie. He wasn't saying he hates gay people so stop pretending that's what was said and move on. George Carlin was right. It is the pussification of America.

Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash does not believe April 13's regular season finale against San Antonio will be his last game in a Suns uniform.

"I'm not approaching it that way at all," Nash said by phone after the season's final morning shootaround. "I have no reason to believe that I won't be here next year. [Playing somewhere else is] something I really haven't even thought about." (ESPN)

-- Good for Phoenix; bad for people who love Steve Nash and want to see him win a ring. 

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Well, Dribblers, enjoy the last bit of regular season games that are left tonight. Before those of you who are unfortunate enough to root for nonplayoff-contending teams will be forced to watch teams you wish you could have beaten up on in the regular season compete for titles. Enjoy the games and enjoy the night!

Goodnight now!

Birthdays for April 14

Player Name (playing years)
Collins, Art 1980-1980
Crevier, Ron 1985-1985
Friend, Larry 1957-1957
Macon, Mark 1991-1998
Stutz, Stan 1946-1948
Tskitishvili, Nikoloz 2002-2005