"The Timberwolves are planning a campaign later this month to promote Corey Brewer for the NBA's Most Improved Player award -- which is as close as they can find to the trophy he really deserves.

Too bad there's no recognition for "Most Surprising Player," because Brewer might win it unanimously. His season, Brewer admits, has shocked him, too.

"Coming off [knee] surgery, I knew I was going to be rusty," said the third-year guard, who turned 23 on Friday. "But I was surprised. My explosiveness came back. I'm feeling a lot more confident."

It shows most of all in his shooting, where Brewer has transformed himself from an avert-your-eyes disaster to a record-setting marksman. "Brewer might be the most improved shooter in the league," espn.com basketball analyst John Hollinger wrote this week, "or the most improved shooter ever, for that matter."

He's not the only one who resorts to hyperbole when considering the changes in the Wolves' starting guard. "He doesn't even look like the same player, he's taken such huge leaps and bounds," assessed center Kevin Love. "He could be a sixth man down the road, or a guy who's the star of the team -- there's no limit, not the way he's improving.""