Chris Finch will try anything but an obvious move Timberwolves fans are begging for

The Minnesota Timberwolves were a bit shorthanded during their Saturday afternoon contest with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mike Conley got the game off for rest reasons. Terrence Shannon Jr. was sidelined for his eighth-straight outing with a left foot injury.

With 7:21 remaining in the second quarter, Jaden McDaniels picked up his third foul. With two players out and McDaniels out for the rest of the quarter, would Chris Finch turn to Rob Dillingham? Johnny Juzang? Leonard Miller? Joan Beringer? He decided against all four of them, instead inserting 38-year-old Joe Ingles into the game.

Joe Ingles checked into Saturday's game in the second quarter

Now in his second season with Minnesota, Ingles has barely played since being rostered by the Timberwolves. Entering Saturday, the 12-year veteran appeared in just 30 regular season games for them, totaling 154 minutes.

So it likely caught many fans off guard when Ingles checked in with 6:24 left in the half. He played about 3.5 minutes, hit a 3-pointer, and committed two fouls in that time.

Other than being utilized as a late-game inbounds passer, it was the first meaningful minutes that Ingles has received all season. Sure, it was cool to watch, but it came at the expense of seeing a much younger player get some useful time on the court.

Used Ingles over players that fans want to see play

Recently, Finch has been going with a nine-man rotation. With Conley out, instead of turning to someone else, Finch utilized Naz Reid, Jaylen Clark, and Bones Hyland off the bench for most of the game until garbage time. Yes, Ingles saw those second quarter minutes, but that never would have happened if McDaniels hadn’t gotten into foul trouble.

It’s evident that Finch has lost all trust in Dillingham. It’s been reported that the Timberwolves wouldn’t be against trading him, and if he can’t be in the rotation when others are out, they might as well see what they can get for him.

Juzang has proven that he can score while with the Jazz, but he’s another that just resides on the bench all game for Minnesota. Now in his third season, Miller doesn’t seem like he will ever become a thing for the Timberwolves.

Many fans would love to see Beringer have some type of role. The defense has struggled all season when Rudy Gobert needs a breather. The next time Beringer plays with the game still in question will also be the first time he does so.

Ingles, by all accounts, is an amazing teammate. It’s why the Timberwolves wasted no time to re-sign him this offseason once free agents were able to put their names on the dotted line. It was a curious, somewhat head-scratching decision, though, to see Finch turn to him over other players on Saturday.