This is a good practice to follow anyway. The sooner the engine actually starts with adequate fuel pressure, the sooner the engine oil gets circulated at adequate pressure to all the bearings because the oil pump is turning at higher continuous speeds. Even good drain-back valves on oil filters can only do so much, so short of using an electric oil pump system that gets oil pressure built up before the engine is even started, getting the engine running asap after cranking begins helps the most.
Could a dirty MAF be causing air-fuel ratios to be thrown off during cranking and creating the problem?