watching the nba lately, i've noticed a new trend in fashion.  some of the stars are now wearing tights underneath their skirts....errr shorts.  to the average fan this looks like nothing more than an attempt by players to get more attention from the announcers and the fans.  while it does cause much discussion, there's more to it than just looking cool. 

one of the main reasons players are turning to the tights is to keep their leg muscles warm during timeouts, and stints on the bench.  it also helps to keep the knee joint in place, for those who've had various injuries, and are somewhat fearful of exposing the knee to further damage.  joe smith was interviewed a couple weeks ago, and asked what the deal was, and he informed the FSN tv crew that after his knee surgery, he felt more comfortable with the tights, and it kept the knee warm while he was sitting idle on the bench.

another possible reason for the tights is to keep cameras from getting just a bit too much footage when a player hits the floor.  after all, as baggy and long as the shorts are these  days, there's plenty of opportunity for such a mishap.

this may seem like a new trend, but its more of a variation of something allen iverson stumbled upon a few years back.  after suffering an injury to his arm, he began wearing a protective sleeve.  after it was completely heeled, iverson continued to wear the sleeve, saying that it gave him a feeling of security, as well as having realized that by keeping the arm warm, it kept it loose late in games.

my 1st question is, why is it only players in the upper echelon who are sporting the tights?  sure, andrew bogut and joe smith are wearing them, but they both just happen to be former #1 overall draft picks.  if this tactic is so helpful, i would think that the majority of players would be doing it.

the next question is, when is the nba going to decide the tights violate the uniform code, and ban players from wearing them.