Calling Timeout With None Left
 

In the game last night, David Blatt attempted to call a timeout even though the Cavs didn't have any. The officials never saw it so nothing happened, but it raised a question in my mind.....

As an official, if you see a coach/player calling for timeout when you know their team doesn't have any timeouts remaining, do you grant the timeout and issue a technical foul or do you simply ignore the timeout request?

Does the situation in which the timeout is requested alter how you handle this? For instance, a coach trying to set up a play where perhaps there isn't as much urgency vs when a player is being trapped and calls for a desperation timeout.

A team is always entitled to request a timeout if they have the ball.

Sometimes the price is a technical foul.

Ignoring the request is lowest-common-denominator officiating.

Teams are allowed an excess timeout at the expense of a technical foul. And the rules don't change based on how great the "sense of urgency" is.

THIS!

In NFHS you grant the timeout and charge the team with a team technical foul.

After the TO is complete, the opponent shoots the two free throws for the T and gets the ball OOB at the division line.

I will always grant the request. I have had partners that say they ignore it and call it "game management"...in my view it is "game manipulation". The official is either injecting their coaching philosophy into the game or they have made a decision to put the other team at a disadvantage by not enforcing the rules.

I certainly agree with you. I also have officiated with partners saying they will ignore the timeout request which is mainly why I asked what people here do. To me, it's not up to an official to decide when a timeout is acceptable for a team to make (other than being in team control of course).

So will I but I don't think I've had it happen in more than a decade. I say if we've done our job and told the HC (s)he has used their final timeout, it's not our problem if they request another one.

Slightly Related ...
 

Things Officials Should Probably Not Be Saying In A Game

"Coach, you have one timeout left", is a courtesy often extended by officials to coaches, when, by rule, officials should only be notifying head coaches when their team has been granted its final allowable timeout. If there is any miscommunication, or mistake, involving the table crew reporting remaining timeouts, then the officials, by rule, need to stay out of the conversation. Let the coaches, and table crew, communicate about remaining timeouts, other than when a team has been granted its final allowable timeout, which by rule, is required to be reported to the coach by the officials.

"Coach - that was your final timeout. However, for a small fee, I can get you another one off ebay." :rolleyes:

I actually had it happen in a 2A BV game a couple years ago. Very close game, and with about a minute and a half left in Q4 the home team used their last time out. During the TO I checked with the table, and as they were coming out of the huddle I advised the HC they had used their final timeout. It gets down to just under 10 seconds left, visitors are up by one when the home team grabs a rebound off a missed shot and the home HC immediately and loudly requested a time out, which we granted. When I then let him know the tiimeout was costing them a team technical he was really upset, but later apologized and admitted he goofed. Visitors wound up winning by three.