When do players become bench personnel

[assignmentmaker]

Originally posted by Jurassic Referee

What about the status of the people on the bench during a timeout? Are the players still players and the bench personnel still bench personnel? [/B]

As Bob Jenkins said above, yes. There's no language saying otherwise. Also, there is supporting language in rule 10-1-9--"A team shall not fail to have all players return to the court at approximately the same time following a time-out or intermission." [/B][/QUOTE]

Say an official is addressed disrespectfully from the bench area during a timeout. For the purpose of penalty (Player Tehcnical vs. Bench Technical), should the official distinguish between a player and someone who is bench personnel?