Say your running by a bench and clearly hear "TIME, TIME" from the HC.

You whistle play dead - Time Out.

Coach say's - "I didn't want a time out, just telling players to watch the clock!"

Ooop's - so much for the important visual confirmation.

What do you do? Throw In?

I have seen that many times and I will actually make sure the coach is signaling for a time out too. I just dont stop and blow my wistle. I also pre-game it and let the coaches know that I need to know they are asking for a time out. If in fact you did stop play, Put the ball in play where you are at.

Inadvertent whistle. Give the ball back to the team that had the ball or go to the AP arrow if you cannot determine who had the ball.

This is why you are not supposed to give a timeout unless you are sure that is what the request if for.

Peace

If you feel like you can't look because you might miss something, you can grant the time out in your head before you look and before you blow the whistle. Now the ball is theoretically dead. If you look, and there's no visual signal, then you look quickly back, and the only thing you might have missed would be a travel or a little foul. If you see a visual signal, then whistle immediately. If the ball was in the air when you blew, it doesn't matter, because you'd already granted the TO in your heart of hearts. If anyone comments, it was a late whistle.

Granted in your head? Theoretically dead? WTF???

6-7 gives all the ways that the ball becomes or remains dead. I don't see those listed in my book.