Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal are talking like teammates, but this isn't how Los Angeles fans wanted it to go down. While local media outlets are buzzing with this morning's news that Kobe wants a trade, his hometown paper found a different angle on the story. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer,

"I believe Kobe 100 percent," said O'Neal, reached yesterday while in Los Angeles on business. "Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind Kobe is telling the truth. I believe him a thousand percent. I would have respected Dr. Buss more as a man if he would have told me that himself, because I know he said it. But he didn't [tell me]. He never said a damn word to me."

LAist was talking about the Laker's woes earlier this morning, and now it looks like things have hit rock bottom. We know the management was promising some major offseason moves -- but even they didn't see this one coming. It's Hollywood drama fit for the Laker's Hollywood crowd.

AP photo by Ross D. Franklin.