Randolph was known as "team poison" before joining the Grizzlies, and Hansen was described by LeBron fans as a "cancer" during his time with the Knight. O'Neal was certainly a man of many nicknames.
With the outstanding performance of the "Poison Duo" of Hansen and Randolph, the Grizzlies had a fifty-fifty start against the Lakers.
Moreover, Hansen was substituted with three minutes left in the first quarter to rest, looking much more energetic than their last matchup.
The impact of Randolph's return was clear.
It also extended Kobe's time on the court for the Lakers; he had to play the entire first quarter.
Regarding salary structure, the Grizzlies utilized the "rookie bonus" with Guy and Randolph each pulling in 15 million for the season, while Little Gasol and Conley were on new labor agreements with large incremental but low starting pays, earning 13 million and 8 million in their first year respectively, totaling 51 million for the four players.
