[Nevadaref]

Under 4-34-1 ...A player is one of five team members who are legally on the court at any given time.
and 4-34-3 says ...A substitute becomes a player when he/she legally enters the court. If entry is not legal, the substitute becomes a player when the ball becomes live. A player becomes bench personnel after his/her substitute becomes a player ....

So to sort this situation out:
1. We have 5 players on the court for each team.
2. We have a number of substitutes properly check-in at the table and are beckoned onto the court by an official. This is the definition of legal entry, thus the entry of all substitutes is legal and they are now players.
3. We had 5 players from each team on the court prior to the substitution process, but as soon as the subs legally entered, each player who is supposed to be replaced has now become bench personnel. (This was easier to see under last year's rules when the substitute had to give the number of the player he was replacing as well as his own to the scorer. But alas since no one followed that, they have dropped this requirement.)
For example, if Red had three subs enter and White 2, Red now has 2 players on the court from before plus 3 players who were substitutes and 3 team members who should now be leaving. Similiarly, White has 3 players carryover plus 2 players who were subs, and 2 team members who are now bench personnel and are leaving.
4. Notice that both teams still have only 5 players on the court during this dead ball. That is why there is no team technical foul during the dead ball.
5. Now all former players, who are now bench personnel, have made it to their respective benches except one. He is confused or didn't get the message from his teammate or coach that he is supposed to come out. Notice this is the team's fault! Not the official's. The officials have done everything properly so far.
6. At this time the officials fail to notice that team member A6 has still not left the court and allow the ball to become live. While it would be best if the officials did notice this and instructed him to leave before putting the ball in play, it is not their duty to do so according to a strict reading of the officials manual or the rules book. 116. in the Officials Manual concerns substitutions and says, "Officials shall count the players prior to putting the ball in play." This is definitely splitting hairs and being legalistic, but at this time there are only 5 players on the court for each team. The problem is there is also one team member, who is bench personnel, out there who shouldn't be. While I admit that the officials are probably asleep, and likely no count of players was made, according to the definitions given in rule 4 even if a count of "players" was made before the ball became live it would be five for each team. So this is by rule the team's fault and not the officials. If everyone else made it off the court properly, clearly the officials also gave the one that remained plently of time to exit. We shouldn't have to wait for him to figure out where he is supposed to be.
7. Finally, we have six PLAYERS in the game for one team when the ball becomes live since the team member who failed to exit once again becomes a player. This is so since his entry, or rather is lack of exit, is not legal and he therefore, only becomes a player when the ball becomes live. Team technical foul at this time.


To summarize, the T is not for putting too many in, it is for failing to remove the correct amount. The team member who failed to leave causes the T when the ball becomes live as he becomes a player whose entry is not legal. It is his fault, not the officials. I for one will not lose any sleep if I have to call a T for this as I firmly believe the team's lack of communication within itself caused this foul.