Alexey Shved to play point guard during preseason

Alexey Shved will see some time at point guard during the preseason while Luke Ridnour's stiff back gets better. The Russian rookie normally plays shooting guard, but Timberwolves head coach Rick Adelman was confident that he could handle the adjustment:

"He's more comfortable at the 'two' (shooting guard), but he's really a smart player and reads situations well. It'll be a process for him. We want to see what he can do and how he handles it."

Shved will split the duties at the point with J.J. Barea for now. Shved has shown in the past that he can be a good playmaker, as he averaged 5.8 assists per game for Russia during the London Olympics. When asked, he seemed more concerned about his defensive responsibilities than about the difficulties of playing point guard:

"Defense has been the hardest thing for me," the soft-spoken Shved said of his adjustment to the NBA. "Everybody can play offense. Not everybody can play defense. I want to work on that. Maybe in a couple of months, I hope to be playing (defense) better."

The Timberwolves open up their preseason against the Pacers in Fargo, N.D., on Wednesday night.