Time-out, 4 return, when can 5th return?

[just another ref]

Never thought about this before, but the way the rule reads the 5th player cannot return without penalty at all. The technical foul is for the failure of all players to return at the same time, not for one or more players return at the wrong time. The way I read it, the technical should be assessed when the officials realize the team has only 4 on the floor, whether the 5th player actually returns or not.