Kevin Love will be announced as the winner of the 2010-11 NBA Most Improved Player award on Thursday, as the Minnesota Timberwolves have, according to SB Nation Minnesota, scheduled a 3 p.m. ET press conference for a major award announcement and Kurt Rambis' Coach of the Year hopes are very slim. Love won the NBA's rebounding title, ending Dwight Howard's three-season streak. He also boosted his per-minute and per-game scoring and, by a great margin, his shooting percentage.

While votes won't be released until the award is made official, Derrick Rose -- the presumptive MVP -- is expected to receive some consideration; Most Improved is the most contentious award largely because different voters and pundits put different limits on who should be considered. Some, for example, argued that since Love was drafted with the No. 5 pick in 2007 he ought not be eligible for MIP. Others argue that Rose is "too good" for MIP consideration.

The Most Improved Player award debuted in 1986; no Timberwolf has ever claimed it. Love would join Danny Granger (2009) and Jermaine O'Neal (2002) as the only players to win Most Improve and be named an NBA All-Star in the same season over the past 10 years.

For more on Love's award win, visit Canis Hoopus.