no timeouts

[bob jenkins]

Originally posted by just another ref
With regards to knowing that a team has no timeout and hesitating to give them one, has anyone ever seen a player or coach ask for a timeout and then remember and correct himself? "Timeout, timeout! No, wait, we don't have one.
Never mind." Or I suppose a more likely scenario would be the player who was trapped and facing a turnover who calls for timeout much to his coach's dismay. Player: "Timeout!"
Coach: "No, we don't want timeout!" Is there any leeway here? As written,(10-1-7) the rule says that "A team shall not request an excess time-out." In other words, the technical occurs when the request is made, not when the timeout is granted. Therefore, how can we ignore this request any more than we can ignore the player who steps out of bounds because he had lost his bearings on the court.

If it happens during "playing action" (generally defined as either live ball or clock running), then I'd be inclined to grant the TO.

If it happens during a stoppage of play (after a foul or violation, for example), I might glance at the coach quizically to, umm, be sure I hear the request correctly the second time.