Before the season started in October, there had been talks of the Lakers trading Kobe Bryant.

Well, Kobe decided he wanted to stay, and the Lakers decided they wanted to keep him.

What a wonderful idea.

After tonight's rout of the Toronto Raptors, the Lakers are 29-16, a record that leaves them tied for fifth best in an unbelievably strong Western Conference. L.A. only trails the first place Phoenix Suns by three games. 

The Lakers got stronger today with the addition of Pau Gasol. Los Angeles sent Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, and two first round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for the seven-footer. Gasol will temporarily fill in at center for injured Andrew Bynum, but will move to power forward upon the return of Bynum.

Bynum should return with approximately one month left in the NBA season. If the Lakers starting lineup can stay free of injury, they will have Derek Fisher running the point with Kobe alongside in the backcourt. Lamar Odom will move to small forward, and Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum would complete the front court.

The added presence of Pau Gasol will make attackers think twice before driving to the hoop, and the threesome of Odom, Bynum, and Gasol combine to average almost twenty-nine rebounds per game. 

Gasol also brings another option on offense that the Lakers did not have. Although the Lakers have not had problems scoring (they average 106 points per game), Gasol just makes the team stronger.

As long as the Lakers can stay healthy for the rest of the season, they should be a tough team come postseason.