Well that was a quick change of heart! Yesterday the NBA told Derrick Rose that he couldn’t wear protective Kinesio tape on his sore neck and now they’ve changed their mind. It did seem like it was a crazy request — shouldn’t players safety come first?! Let’s see how long this lasts. Details after the jump…
Via ESPN:
…the NBA reversed course later Wednesday and will allow its use on an “experimental basis.”
“After a discussion today with Jerry Stackhouse, representing the union, we have decided to allow Kinesio tape on an experimental basis so that we can take a fresh look at the possible benefits it might bring to our players,” NBA spokesman Tim Frank said in a statement on Wednesday.
Rose injured his neck during the team’s regular-season opener against the Miami Heat on Oct. 29, and has been dealing with neck soreness since. He has been wearing the tape, which is visible on both sides of his neck, since Thursday’s game against the New York Knicks to keep his neck loose.
“I think the NBA told me I got to stop,” Rose said before Wednesday morning’s shootaround. “So I probably won’t be able to wear it tonight.” Rose didn’t wear it against the the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
“You do what the league says,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “What they allow you to do is what you have to do, so [the league] cleared it and I guess they got approval from the medical people in the league office and so it’s good.”
“Anything that makes him more comfortable, I’m in favor of.” Rose said the injury has improved during the past week.
