Technical foul in front of partner

[BigJoe]

The dead ball situation has nothing to do with primary coverage. When a foul is called there is a reason that the non calling official watches the players while the calling official reports the foul. In this case, the calling official could have turned toward the table after the initial contact or could have had his momentum carry him toward the wall as well. If the players went into the padding, chances are that the wall was close to the endline. In any case, a cheap shot called by any official is not a "weak" call. If this was allowed to go, chances are you are looking at something alot worse on the other end of the floor.
JMHO