In what amounts to the highlight of the awards season for the Timberwolves, Corey Brewer finished ninth in balloting for the NBA's Most Improved Player Award, the league announced on Thursday.
Brewer, who turned himself into an effective three-point shooter in his third season, finished in a tie with Brook Lopez of New Jersey with 19 points (though Lopez received one of the 126 first-place votes). The award went to Houston point guard Aaron Brooks in a surprisingly lopsided vote. Brooks finished with 62 first-place votes and 403 points; Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City, Marc Gasol of Memphis and George Hill of San Antonio were in a three-way tie for second at 101 points. Then came Milwaukee center Andrew Bogut (93), Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook (67), Chicago forward Joakim Noah (64), and Charlotte forward Gerald Wallace (29).
The Wolves mounted a media campaign to promote Brewer's resume, sending out "Brewer's Blend" coffee and mugs to voters, along with stat sheets pointing out his career-best 82 three-pointers and his franchise-record 33-game three-point streak.
