[JRutledge]

This is not a liability issue no more than any other decision we make. There is nothing in the rules that says to do it one way or the other.

What are you going to do if one team does not want the warm up period? I think many of you are assuming that all coaches feel it is necessary and for the same reasons and want to warm up the same way. I simply said that I do not see a major reason for shooting baskets as a warm up requirement. It also depends on how long the trainers/ambulance had to tend to the injury. There is nothing that says that while the injury is taking place that the teams could not be stretching or warming up in other ways. You do not have to give players times to shoot baskets to be warm. I have done many football games that had delays based on injury and weather and that did not mean the players went out and did kicking drills to warm up. They stretched on the field as a team in one corner. Even then not all coaches agree with what they should do and how it should be done. In a perfect world all coaches and players agree. In the real world they do not agree for very different reasons. Some teams want to get out their and try to maintain their momentum, what is left of it. Some teams might not want the other team to practice getting their shot back. The only people here are assuming what coaches are going to want are a bunch of officials that seem to not live in a world where things do not go so perfect. At the end of the day that is our decision as referees to decide what to do. It is not the choice of the coaches. Sometimes the AD might have a say that goes completely against what the coaches want.

If you are in constant fear of being sued, then get out of officiating. Seriously get out right now. Even if you allow a warm up period, someone could say you did not give them enough time to their satisfaction. You might give the teams 3 minutes and one coach wanted 10. You are never going to make everyone happy or do everything that others will agree with. I can tell you from my Baseball, Football and Basketball experience, there are situations that not everyone can agree on. Just this past Football season in my first round playoff game, the coaches could not agree one what they wanted to do as a warm-up period for weather delays. One coach had one thing in mind. The other coach had another issue. Guess who made the final decision?

Peace