[Rick Durkee]

I have posted about this topic before, but the more discuss it with others, the more confused I get.

When does a player become bench personnel, and vice versa, when a time-out is involved? The question is relevant to assessing penalties for technical fouls and to determine whether a team memember who just left the game can legally substitute. Are there any other reasons it would matter?

1) While the clock is running, A6 reports to the table as a substitute. Then, a few seconds later, an official grants a time-out request. Could/should an official beckon A6 into the game at that time and make him/her a player? Or, is A6 only considered to be a player after he/she legally enters the court follwing the time-out? Or, some other time that I haven't thought of...?

2) Official grants a time-out request. Before the warning horn, A6 reports to the table as a substitute. Is there any way for A6 to become a player before he/she legally enters the court following the time-out? What if a subsequent time-out is granted before any players return to the court?