Now that the regular season has come to a close, it is time to step back and take notice to which teams have experienced the most significant fluctuation in their performance.  Many factors can affect the outcome of a team?s success or failure when comparing winning percentages on a season-by-season basis.  This investigation will look at the teams who have made the greatest strides to improve their record, the teams who have stumbled furthest down the standings, and also the teams who are still lingering around treading the same stale waters.  This study compares the winning percentage of each team from this season with last season, and draws conclusions for the resulting trends.

Most Improved

1.  Toronto Raptors (+.244)

The Toronto Raptors made the most significant jump in the standings this season.  They won a club record 47 games and their first Atlantic Division title in team history, all while securing home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs as the third seeded team.  Their jump from 27 to 47 wins was the feel-good story of the NBA and Chris Bosh has finally established himself as one of the game?s elite performers.

This success was largely based on the extreme front office and roster overhaul following the 2005-06 season.  They brought in Bryan Colangelo to take over as General Manager and were also awarded the first overall pick in last June?s Draft.  Colangelo selected international phenom Andrea Bargnani with the first pick, and also signed international stars Anthony Parker and Jorge Garbajosa when designing the new look Raps.  He also made a big splash in the trade market, by dealing away last year?s rookie sensation Charlie Villanueva to the Milwaukee Bucks for speedy point guard TJ Ford.  

All of these moves impacted the franchise and the team began picking up wins in the middle part of the season.  These are the primary reasons why Toronto is back on the map and looking to reach its first ever NBA Finals appearance.  

2.  Houston Rockets (+.220)

Much of the added success from this Houston team deals with increased the production and health of its two main stars, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady.  The two main boosters of this Rocket machine missed 25 and 34 games respectively last season.  Along with a healthier Yao and T-Mac this year, the Rockets made several off season improvements that resulted in increasing their win total from a modest 34 wins to a solid 52 wins in the dangerous Western Conference.

On Draft Day, they drafted UConn standout Rudy Gay with the 8th pick and dealt him along with salary-cap-stifling, underperforming, 2005-06 free agent bust Stromile Swift to the Memphis Grizzlies for the talented all around player and leader in Shane Battier.  They also traded a 2008 conditional second round draft pick for Kirk Snyder who provided very solid play off the bench.  However, the most significant upgrade in performance came from emerging second year players Chuck Hayes and Luther Head.  Their continued development has given the Rockets plenty of added firepower when McGrady and Yao are off their game.  

3.  Portland Trailblazers (+.134)

Portland overhauled its roster completely with seven Draft Day trades and three incredible rookie selections in leading Rookie of the Year candidate Brandon Roy, promising center LaMarcus Aldridge, and flashy point guard Sergio Rodriguez.   With a career year from Zach Randolph and breakout years from Ime Udoka and Jarret Jack, the future looks remarkably bright for this franchise on the rise.  Rising from a league-worst 21 victories in 2005-06, the Blazers won 32 games while competing with a very strong Western Conference schedule.  Sitting in the sixth position for the NBA Draft Lottery, it is very possible the Blazers could be sitting pretty with the all-important No. 1 or No. 2 selection in this year?s draft loaded with potential franchise and impact players.  

4.  New York Knicks (+.122)

After nearly setting a franchise record for the worst winning percentage in team history, there really wasn?t any other way for the Knicks to go but up.  Under new head coach Isiah Thomas, the Knicks struggled out of the gate to find an identity and a rotation.  Following the ugly brawl at the Garden with the Nuggets, the Knicks regained their focus and went 20-17 until they racked up too many injuries for the team to endure.  Losing Quentin Richardson, David Lee, and Jamal Crawford for the final 20+ games, along with additional injuries to Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, and Renaldo Balkman down the stretch left the Knicks so undermanned they only carried two guards on the roster with a combined 1 year of NBA experience prior to this season.  This led to a 4-15 finish that dropped them from the 7th seed in the East on March 11 to the 11th spot tied with Charlotte.  

Despite the epidemic, the Knicks still managed to increase their win total from a year ago from 23 to 33 victories.  This was due largely in part to the arrival of new head coach Isiah Thomas and his ability to motivate his squad to perform.  The Knicks also found two gems in the draft in Renaldo Balkman and Mardy Collins, as Balkman became a fan favorite game-changing sparkplug and Collins nearly provided two triple doubles as he led the NBA in minutes played in the month of April due to the absurd amount of injuries.  With some internal growth and a healthy roster next season, the Knicks could make an even greater improvement in 2007-08.

5.  Utah Jazz (+.122)

Jerry Sloan has done it again.  He has taken a talent-depleted team that was ravaged by injuries a season before to the brink of home court advantage in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs this season.  The Jazz missed gaining home-court over the Houston Rockets by a single game en route to capturing the Northwest Division title.  This season saw the healthy return of Carlos Boozer, the acquisition of veteran leader Derek Fisher, and the superb drafting of Ronnie Brewer and second rounder Paul Millsap.  The primary reason for the return of the Jazz was the breakout season by rising star Deron Williams, along with career years from Boozer and Mehmet Okur.  This team is on the brink of breaking into the Top 3 out West in the next couple of years, and is definitely considered a dangerous out for any team in this year?s postseason.

Biggest Decline

1.  Memphis Grizzlies (-.329)

The Grizzlies had by far the worst collapse of any team in the league.  They dropped from 49 wins to only 22, an absolutely unacceptable digression of awful proportions.  The team added Rudy Gay and Stromile Swift from the Rockets in exchange for glue guy Shane Battier (note that the Rockets are in the Most Improved section, while the Grizz find themselves embarrassed here?).  However, the real killer to this team was the continued injuries to their veteran star players in Pau Gasol, Damon Stoudamire, and Eddie Jones (who was eventually bought out of his ludicrous $15M deal).  This team flopped in the powerhouse Southwest division without their veteran core and even lost stud draft pick Kyle Lowry to a significant injury early in the season.  The good thing about this season is that the Grizzlies sit with the most chances to win the Lottery in this draft loaded with potential franchise superstars Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, and also the improved play and valuable experience given to youthful players Hakim Warrick, Rudy Gay, Tarence Kinsey, and Lawrence Roberts.

2.  Milwaukee Bucks (-.146)

This Bucks team was probably the most injury-riddled team of the season.  Already without Bobby Simmons for the second consecutive year, they lost massive portions of the season to injury from newly acquired Charlie Villanueva, young center Andrew Bogut, star franchise player Michael Redd, rising star Maurice Williams, and key role player Dan Gadzuric.  It also helps that the team shut down Bogut and Villanueva for the last portion of the season, when it become evident they were tanking the remainder of the season in order to add top recruits Greg Oden or Kevin Durant with the 1st or 2nd pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.  Milwaukee sits with the third most chances to land a Lottery pick.  Imagine a starting five of Mo Williams, Redd, Durant, Villanueva, and Bogut for the next five to ten years.  Wow?

3.  Detroit Pistons (-.134)

This may seem shocking since the Pistons had the best record in the Eastern Conference this season, but that just exemplifies just how great last year?s Piston squad was during the regular season.  They stumbled out of the gate to a 21-16 record after losing their heart and soul Ben Wallace to the Chicago Bulls.  However, they regained control of the Conference once they partook in the new NBA player buyout ?The Rich Get Richer? policy.  Taking advantage of Chris Webber?s Vince Carter-like shutdown in Philadelphia, the Pistons signed Webber to a league minimum deal that fortified their glaring need for a presence in the post while the 76ers sat back with a $17.6M bill in their wallet.  The Pistons have a strong foundation, but some interesting off season decisions to make in determining the future of their franchise.

4.  Sacramento Kings (-.134)

These Kings started off on the wrong foot.  After surging into the playoffs a year ago on the heels of the Ron Artest trade, the Kings were unable to persuade key player Bonzi Wells to rejoin the team this year.  That, along with the injuries to Brad Miller, the unstable play and demeanor of Artest, and the lack of production from anyone outside of Mike Bibby and Kevin Martin led to the demise of the Kings this season.  They currently hold the tenth most chances of securing a Top 3 Lottery pick.  

5.  Boston Celtics (-.110)

Like almost everyone else on this list, the Celtics can point to injuries as the main culprit for their current position with the second most chances of landing the top pick in the Lottery.  While you may think I?m referring to the franchise record 18-game losing streak the Celts endured or the incredible amount of games lost while Paul Pierce, Tony Allen, Wally Szczerbiak, and newly acquired cadaver Theo Ratliff were sidelined, think again.  I?m referring to the 5-23 mark the Celtics put up with Brian Scalabrine sidelined.  The Celtics were 19-35 with him in the lineup.  Kidding aside, the team is still very young and inexperienced and losing its leader and top scorers for the majority of the season (Pierce, Allen, Wally, Ratliff combined for only 114 games played out of a possible 328 which equates to roughly 35%) led to their demise.  The draft selection of Rajon Rondo overshadowed the heralded trade of Sebastian Telfair to the Celts, and they could be perhaps looking down on that trade even more after he was arrested for gun possession charges yesterday in New York.  However, their win total would be even lower had it not been for the drastic improvement of Al Jefferson in the second half of the season, who could become a dominant frontcourt tandem with either Oden or Durant beginning next season.

Treading Water

1.  Cleveland Cavaliers (+.000)

The Cavs made no significant roster moves, and continued to show they are among the elite in the East, earning the second seed in this year?s postseason.  With key role player Anderson Varejao on the open market this off season, the Cavs might have limited flexibility to maneuver to further improve their squad.  

2.  Washington Wizards (-.012)

The Wizards were on pace to be a much improved team this season until devastating injuries first removed Antawn Jamison from the lineup and ultimately Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas over the final weeks of the season.  Without Butler and Arenas, the Wizards limped into the playoffs with a 4-12 record.  Expect significant improvement from the Wizards next season if they can remain healthy.

3.  Minnesota Timberwolves (-.012)

Poor Kevin Garnett.  His team is stuck below levels of mediocrity and refuses to request a trade.  General Manager continues to confess that he has no intention of trading the franchise icon, but while his team is engulfed in salary cap Hell for the next two years following this one, he is overrun with a glut of similar players who refuse to play as one.  The Wolves declined from 33 wins to 32 this season, and they sit in the 7th position in this year?s NBA Draft Lottery.  If they are unable to land the No.1 or No.2 pick to secure Greg Oden or Kevin Durant to put aside KG, it is only right that they give Garnett a chance to experience a new city with a chance to be successful.    

4.  Denver Nuggets (+.012)

Once again, the Nuggets faced problems relating to lack of personnel.  With the loss of power forward Kenyon Martin for the season, along with superstar Carmelo Anthony and newly acquired J.R. Smith for a large portion of the season due to their participation in the Garden Brawl with the Knicks, the Nuggets still were able to muster an increase in wins from 44 to 45 wins this season.  The season saw a lot of player movement as they dealt Joe Smith and Andre Miller to Philadelphia for superstar Allen Iverson and later shipped little man Earl Boykins to the Milwaukee Bucks for steady point guard Steve Blake.  The sky is the limit for this team, and with a healthy K-Mart back next season, wow, are they going to be a scary match up.

5.  New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (+.012).  

The Hornets faced their fair share of injuries as well this season, most notably to newly acquired star sharp-shooter Peja Stojakovic and super-reserve Bobby Jackson.  However, the silver lining in this season was the continued growth of rising stars Chris Paul and David West, along with a career year from newly acquired Tyson Chandler.  Add the promising youths New Orleans gained from last year?s draft in Hilton Armstrong and Cedric Simmons, the continued improvement of Desmond Mason and newly acquired Jannero Pargo and you can pencil the Hornets in as one of the up-and-coming teams in the West next season.

Agree?  Disagree?  Feel free to contact Jason M. Williams with your thoughts.  He can be reached at Jason.Williams@RealGM.com for comments, questions, or anything else you would like to know.