Derrick Rose's Neck Tape Declared Illegal But NBA Reverses Decision

Derrick Rose was told during Wednesday morning's shootaround that he will not be allowed to wear Kinesio tape on his sore neck, but the NBA quickly reversed their decision.

Rose, who hurt his neck in their season-opener against the defending champions Miami Heat on Oct. 29, has been dealing with neck soreness that forced him to wear the tape to keep his neck loose.

The superstar point guard, who just made his return from a long recovery from an ACL injury, revealed on Wednesday that the league told him not to use the neck tape.

"I think the NBA told me I got to stop," Rose said in an interview as reported by ESPN. "So I probably won't be able to wear it tonight."

But after the league had a discussion with Jerry Stackhouse of the NBA Players' Association, the league decided to reverse its previous decision, saying that players can use Kinesio tape 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.

Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau was elated with the decision of the league, saying that he is in favor of it since it will make a hurting player more comfortable playing.

"You do what the league says," 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."

Thibodeau is also hoping that Rose will get out of his current slump. After a promising performance during the preseason, Rose shot just 21-for-67 from the field, while also committing 4.4 turnovers in his first five games this season.

"It's been up and down," said Thibodeau on Rose's performance. "I think he's got to get used to his teammates again. As a whole, we have to find a rhythm. He just has to be patient, slow down a little bit, let things develop, and he'll be fine."