So much can change in one year.  Just ask Barack Obama.  Or you can ask Hedo Turkoglu, Monta Ellis, Boris Diaw, Bobby Simmons, Zach Randolph, Gilbert Arena, Jermaine O'Neal, Tracy McGrady, and Jalen Rose, who have won the nine Most Improved Player of the year awards of this decade.

With a fair amount of the season already completed, it is an opportune time to examine which players have significantly improved or have declined.  In order to create the below list, I subtracted the FIC40 of 2007-08 from the FIC40 this season.  The Floor Impact Counter is the metric I use to rank players in terms of overall efficiency, which then determines their Reina Value.

These are the 25 players who have played substantial minutes and have elevated their games most significantly and the 27 players who have shown a drop in overall production based on my statistical system.

Biggest Gains
   
- Dwyane Wade: 5.8 (20.8, 15.0)

Wade isn't quite having a career season, his 05-06 season wasn't that long ago and was, of course, very good, but the jump from the nightmare of 07-08 is, of course, incredibly pronounced.  He essentially had All-Star numbers last season and has increased them across the board to superstar numbers this season.  

- Sergio Rodriguez: 4.0 (12.3, 8.3)  
   
I was expecting Jerryd Bayless to step in almost immediately into the minutes set aside for Rodriguez last season, but the veteran has done a good job of 'managing the game'.  Rodriguez is shooting just 36.4% from the floor, but he has improved his 3-point shooting to a new career best of 36.6%.

- Devin Harris: 3.6 (16.7, 13.1)
   
Harris is averaging 9.7 more points per game than he did last season and is 6th overall in the category behind just Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, and Chris Bosh, very clearly elusive company.  He has a better offensive rating than each of those players, due to a career best 6.6 assists per 36 minutes.  Harris was known primarily as a complementary offensive player and a superb defensive player while in Dallas and although his defensive rating is a career worst 114, his talents on the offensive end have demanded notice.

- Nene Hilario 3.6 (15.7, 12.1)
   
Nene is in the top-10 in offensive rating and 18th on defense while shooting an NBA-high 63.3% from the field.  He was a more efficient rebounder in the past, but his play on offense has been a clear breakthrough.

- Rajon Rondo: 3.5 (16.9, 13.4)

Rondo is eighth in assists per game and third in steals.  He is shooting 51.4% from the floor and has improved his 3-point shot to 30.8%, which is significant considering the kind of shooter he was coming out of Kentucky.  He's always been a superb defender, and his play on offense is truly the difference between the Celtics of 08-09 and 07-08.
   
- Larry Hughes 3.5 (12.4, 8.9)  
   
Hughes has gradually improved his 3-point shooting since coming into the league out of St. Louis, but his 43.9% mark is 7.1 points higher than his previous career high.  He is attempting 5.1 per game and is a big reason why he's having an even better offensive season than his previous best during his final year in Washington.

- C.J. Watson: 3.3 (12.1, 8.8)
   
Watson has frequently been the best player on the floor for the Warriors this season, which is a good thing for him although not so much for the team.  He is now shooting 47.4% from the floor (up from 42.6% last season) and has made gains across the board in his efficiency in rebounds, steals, assists, and turnovers.

- Dwight Howard: 3.1 (22.9, 19.8)
   
Second in defensive rating, first in rebounds, first in blocks, fourth in field goal percentage, first in free throw attempts, if Howard makes another jump like this again next season then he would really be in that legion of best centers of all-time.  Both his offensive (116) and defensive ratings (95) are at career highs, as are his efficiency as a rebounder and shotblocker.  Howard blocked 2.1 shots per 36 minutes last season, and he's nearly doubled that mark to 3.8 in 08-09.

- Thabo Sefolosha: 3.0 (13.5, 10.5)
   
Sefolosha hasn't really improved offensively and is shooting a ghastly 16.7% from beyond the arc, but he is getting 3.1 steals and 1.4 blocks per 36 minutes while fouling less.

- Nate Robinson: 2.9 (13.7, 10.8)
   
Robinson's offensive rating has dipped from last season, but he is shooting 47% and has increased his efficiency as a rebounder and an assist man.

- Jeff Green: 2.9 (10.9, 8.0)  
       
Green shot 42.9% from the floor last season and is now shooting 45.9%, but more impressive is his improvement as a 3-point shooter as he's now shooting 41.3% on three attempts per game.  His offensive rating has not shockingly improved by 11 points from last season even though the Thunder are even worse than they were in Seattle.

- Chris Duhon: 2.8 (13.0, 10.2)

Duhon is playing nearly twice as many minutes per game (22.6 to 39.9) and his per minute efficiency has also increased.  He is averaging 8.4 assists per game, which is fifth in the NBA, and he's shooting a career best from the floor and 3-point line.  His offensive rating of 115 is six points per 100 possessions better than it was last season.

- Shaquille O'Neal: 2.8 (17.9, 15.1)

You wouldn't expect a Hall of Famer to have any career highs at 36, 37 years of age, but his 60.3% from the floor is a new best.  He isn't close to being the kind of rebounder or shot blocker he once was, but he's as efficient offensively as he ever was with the Lakers.  The caveat is that he isn't nearly as dominant and cannot sustain for lengthy minutes.

- Spencer Hawes: 2.7 (13.1, 10.4)
   
Hawes is showing signs of becoming a very good rebounder and shotblocker at this level.  He has a long way to go offensively, but his 38.6% from beyond the arc is promising.

- Anderson Varejao: 2.7 (14.6, 11.9)
   
Varejao is known as a scrappy rebounder, but excluding last season, he has always had an excellent offensive rating (113 for his career) and has a mark of 126 this season (5th in the NBA).  He is shooting 58.2% from the floor, 67.9% from the line, and although his rebound rate is down from what it was, it remains efficient.
   
- Renaldo Balkman: 2.6 (12.8, 10.2)
   
Balkman goes from a team with less offensive talent to a better one, but his usage increases, and he responds by shooting 54.1% from the floor, which is a truly substantial climb for a low-skill wing.

- Zydrunas Ilgauskas: 2.6 (18.0, 15.4)

Ilgauskas is shooting 52.4% from the floor, which is a new career best, and he's also been excellent on the glass and as an assist man.

- Trevor Ariza: 2.4 (16.4, 14.0)      
   
Ariza is second in the NBA in steal percentage behind just Chris Paul while he is 10th in the NBA in defensive rating.  He isn't quite as efficient as a scorer as he was during the 06-07 season, but his surges as a rebounder and in assists have been significant.
   
- Paul Millsap: 2.3 (16.1, 13.8)
         
Millsap continues to be one of the finest offensive rebounders in the game and has improved his field goal and free throw percentages this year to new career highs.  He has always had an excellent offensive and defensive rating differential, and it is currently at +13.

- Tony Parker: 2.3 (16.5, 14.2)    
   
Parker has an assist percentage of 43.2, which is easily a career high, while he's also decreased his turnovers.  His usage has increased, which offsets the drop in shooting efficiency.
   
- Antawn Jamison: 2.3 (16.2, 13.9)
   
With an offensive rating of 118, Jamison is having his best offensive season since his lone season in Dallas when he shot 53.% from the floor.  He is shooting 47.9% with a turnover/assist ratio of 2.1/1.1.  No player in the game has a better turnover percentage than Jamison while he is 15th in rebounds per game.
 
- Mike Bibby: 2.3 (14.5, 12.2)
   
Bibby appeared to be just about done, but he has bounced back incredibly this season.  He is shooting an absolute career high from beyond the arc (43.7%) and has an offensive rating that is five points better than his previous high.  He isn't the assist man he once was, but he has never had a lower turnover rate.
   
- LeBron James: 2.2 (23.7, 21.5)

With career highs in his efficiency in assists, steals, blocks, and getting to the line, LeBron has an eight point jump in his offensive rating up to 124 from 116 and an eight point improvement in his defensive rating to 96.

- Andrea Bargnani: 2.1 (10.0, 7.9)
   
Bargnani is essentially the same offensive player he's always been, but he has suddenly become a formidable shotblocker, with 2.1 per 36 minutes compared to 1.2 last season.  He is every bit as effective blocking shots as many of the best in the game.  He has also improved his rebounding rate and is shooting 90.9% from the line.    

- Chris Paul: 1.7 (24.1, 22.4)
   
Paul was my pick to win the MVP last season, so how did he improve?  He has the best offensive rating in the NBA with a mark of 130.8; surprisingly, Horace Grant in the 91-92 season was the last player to finish the season with a mark of over 130.  His shooting percentage has elevated from 48.8% to 51.7%.  He has made incremental improvements in his shooting efficiency in each season.  Paul also has nudged up his assists per 36 minutes and has made a huge leap as a rebounder.

Biggest Drops

- Brent Barry: -8.3 (4.1, 12.4)

Barry led the NBA if offensive rating back in the 01-02 season and had an excellent 128 last year in San Antonio, so it's difficult to believe he is one of the absolute worst in the league in that category with a mark of 87.  But he is shooting just 30.2% from the floor and has been turning the ball over with far too great a frequency.

- Amare Stoudemire: -5.3 (16.1, 21.4)    
 
Like many of the members of the Suns, pace is a contributing factor to the decline, but Amare's shooting percentage dropped from 59.0% to 55.9% while he is having the second worst rebounding output of his career.  His offensive rating remains very good, and any player with a 16.1 FIC40 is still one of the best in the game.

- Earl Watson: -4.8 (8.6, 13.4)

Watson is shooting just 34.8% from the floor, down from 45.3% a season ago.  Beyond his terribly disappointing decrease in efficiency scoring, Watson is essentially the same player he has always been and the kind of point guard that needs to be limited to under 20 minutes per game for a team to compete.

- Steve Nash: -4.4 (15.5, 19.9)
   
By just about every metric you can look at, even when considering pace, Nash is having his least effective season in Phoenix (second stint).  He was even better during his days in Dallas and is clearly unhappy.  Terry Porter has attempted to stress defense, but Nash becomes a bigger defensive liability when he isn't running the way he did in the past because that Mike D'Antoni system fostered a situation where the best defense was the explosive offense.

- Shawn Marion: -4.3 (13.5, 17.8)
   
Marion forced his way out of Phoenix and hasn't demonstrated much besides the fact that he is aging wing that was largely a product of a high octane system that suited him well.  He is scoring with nearly the kind of efficiency as he did with the Suns, and he also isn't performing as well on the glass or as a defender.

- Leon Powe: -4.0 (10.9, 14.9)

Powe's performance in the 2008 Finals has placed him on the collective conscious of NBA fans, but he actually was more productive last season.  He shot 62.9% from the field last year, so not surprisingly his shooting has dipped to 59.8%.  He has also been far more turnover prone with 3.2 per 36 minutes, and his offensive rating has dipped 15 points from 124 to 109.

- Tyson Chandler: -4.0 (11.7, 15.7)

Chandler's offensive rating is still a very good 117, but he isn't shooting over 62% from the floor as he did in each of the past two seasons.  He also isn't rebounding at nearly the same clip.

- Allen Iverson: -4.0 (11.8, 15.8)  
   
Iverson had his finest overall offensive season last season, so a drop was to be expected, but the decline is significant across most facets of his game.

- Kevin Martin: -3.8 (9.7, 13.5)
   
Martin hasn't been nearly as good of a scorer, dropping to 31% from over 40% beyond the arc, with drops from the floor, as well.  He had been one of the most efficient offensive scorers in each of the past two seasons (120 and 121 points per 100 possessions), but he's down to 105 this season.

- Hedo Turkoglu: -3.6 (10.4, 14.0)

Turkoglu really had nowhere to go except down following his win as the NBA's Most Improved Player in 07-08.  He is shooting just 32% from beyond the arc, which is a tough mark to justify for a player that attempts more than 5.0 per game.  He has been less productive as a rebounder and in creating for teammates.  His offensive rating of 101 is a 10-point drop from 07-08.  

- Andres Nocioni: -3.4 (6.7, 10.1)

Nocioni is shooting just 38.2% from the floor this season.  He parlayed his 06-07 season into a nice extension, and he's currently very far away from that level of production.  

- Michael Redd: -3.4 (9.2, 12.6)

Redd's reputation as a deadly 3-point shooter has been overrated for several years as he hasn't shot over 40% since the 02-03 season.  His usage rate has declined, as have have his rebounding and assist rates.

- Luol Deng: -3.3 (9.7, 13.0)

Unlike teammate Ben Gordon, Deng became a very rich man during this past offseason.  The Bulls have been in love with him, and Kobe Bryant believed he was on the verge of becoming truly special last year, but the promise just hasn't panned out this season.  His shooting has dropped from 51.7% in 06-07 to 47.9 in 07-08 to just 43.2% this season.  He has also been weaker as a rebounder and assist man.

- Andrew Bynum: -3.2 (17.8, 21.0)  

This drop was to be expected since Bynum didn't play a single minute beside Pau Gasol last season.  His rebound and block rates have both dipped in a normal way when adding a player of Gasol's caliber, but his field goal percentage dropped from 63.8% (unrealistic to sustain) to 54.9% (a more likely figure).
 
- Tyrus Thomas: -3.0 (10.2. 13.2)

I don't believe there is a player that needs a change of scenery more desperately than Thomas.  He has bounced back as a shot blocker this season but is pretty much across the board not as effective as he was a rookie.  Most troubling is the fact that he is shooting just 36.2% from the floor.  Thomas is a player that needs to get the ball near the rim instead of settling for jumpers.

- T.J. Ford: -3.0 (12.9, 15.9)

Ford has improved as a 3-point shooter but has seen his assist percentage drop from 44.4% to 26.4% in Jim O'Brien's system.

- Thaddeus Young: -3.0 (9.3, 12.3)

Most sophomores usually have better numbers than they did as a rookie, but Young has gone the other way.  His shooting percentage has dropped from 53.9% to 47.3% while he isn't rebounding at nearly as good of a clip.  His usage rate has actually increased, but his offensive rating has predictably gone from a very good 115 to a mediocre 105.

- Jordan Farmar: -2.9 (9.9, 12.8)

I've been a big believer in Farmar and thought he would eventually give the Lakers a boost of youth at the point guard position, but his field goal percentage has dropped from 46.1% to 40.4% while his assist/turnover ratio have regressed as well.  His offensive rating is down to 98 from 109 last season.
 
- Lamar Odom: -2.9 (13.4, 16.3)

I thought Odom has always been better than believed while with the Lakers, and he has become somewhat of a spare part this season.  His offensive rating has decreased 15 points to an inexcusable 101.  Fact is, he scored and rebounded at career bests during the 07-08 season, and he is closer to a 13.4 FIC40 player than 16.3.

- Kevin Garnett: -2.8 (18.0, 20.8)

Garnett has the best defensive rating in the game and is still one of the best five or six players in the game, so even though he has dipped in shooting efficiency and as an assist man, I'm not sure we are looking at a decline that will matter in June.  But it is worth noting that Garnett's offensive rating is at 108, a drop from 118 last season.  He even had 117 ratings in two of his final three seasons in Minnesota.

- Nick Collison: -2.8 (11.8, 14.6)

Collison was one of the bright spots for the Sonics during their final season, but he has played a smaller role offensively while rebounding less efficiently in Oklahoma City.

- Corey Maggette: -2.6 (10.6, 13.2)

Maggette has replaced Antoine Walker as the NBA's most prolific chucker even though he shot more frequently in four of his eight seasons with the Clippers than he is currently, but at $50M over five years, the chucking is more egregious.

- Baron Davis: -2.5 (13.8, 16.3)

Davis was wise getting his long-term deal when he did because, as expected, it should be all downhill from here.  He is scoring less efficiently although he has improved his assist/turnover ratio.

- Louis Williams: -2.4 (9.2, 11.6)  
   
I was expecting another breakthrough from Louis Williams, but he has taken a step back in terms of being an efficient scorer, shooting 47.6% compare to 52.3% last season.  His 30.1 usage rate puts him in the kind of territory that the Kevin Durants and Carmelo Anthonys see.

- Paul Pierce: -2.2 (12.6, 14.8)
     
Pierce is shooting just 40.5% from the floor and 35.1% from beyond the arc.  Pierce is in the stage of his career where what he does in May, June, and the 4th quarter matter more than anything, but he really isn't close to being in the conversation of best player in the world.

- Chris Kaman: -2.1 (14.6, 16.7)

Kaman's individual numbers were buoyed from playing an entire season without Elton Brand to share rebounds with, and now he has to share with Marcus Camby and Zach Randolph.  Better for the team, though, is Kaman's shooting 57.1% from the floor, a jump from 48.3%.
   
- Richard Jefferson: -2.0 (9.6, 11.6)

Jefferson is one of those players that has almost never been as good as advertised because he is decent at everything but far from great at anything.  His shooting has dipped as have his usage and assists.

Click here to view the full player rankings which are updated daily and click here to see a similar list for the 2008 MLB season.

- Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM.com