Monta Ellis said he hardly paid attention all the way up to the point where the trophy was in his hands.

The Golden State guard was, for the 2006-07 season, the Most Improved Player. And that, he would say a season later, meant nothing up to the point when it meant everything.

"It wasn't even one of those things that was in the back of my mind," Ellis said recently. "(But) I didn't want to get Most Improved last year and then come back and have a bust season this year, so it just carried on from last year and picked it up even harder this year."

Winning the MIP worked out quite well for Ellis, who has taken his game to even greater heights since then and may be in line for quite a windfall as he will be a restricted free agent this summer. As for who he'll be handing the trophy to this season? It's as much a mystery as the question of whether Ellis' Warriors will hold on to the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

Let us take a look at one man's unofficial list of candidates…

Orlando small forward Hedo Turkoglu – In terms of a player taking his game to a new level after years of performing on a lesser plane, no one can compete with Turkoglu.

In his first seven seasons he never played a starring role, blossoming once he came to the Magic from San Antonio in 2004 but never like this. His 19.9 points per game is quite a step up from his 13.3 points per game last season and far better than his previous career-high of 14.9. He is shooting 45.3 percent after dipping to 41.9 last season, all while hitting the boards like never before (six per game after previous career high of 4.6) and finding his teammates in unprecedented ways as well (4.9 assists after previous career high of 3.2).

Yet much of Turkoglu's production must be looked at in light of those who surround him. Magic center Dwight Howard could be an MIP candidate himself, as his progression continues to astound and he makes the most of his ridiculous talent. Then there's the $118 million-dollar man, Rashard Lewis, who has left his ego in his locker and earned his sizable paycheck by blending in.

Turkoglu has been the benefactor of the defensive attention that must be paid to Howard and Lewis, most clearly evidenced in the jump in three-point attempts (3.8 per game last season to a career-high 5.3 at present) as Turkoglu is often left alone on the perimeter. First-year Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, meanwhile, has rolled with this plan nicely.

If someone would have told Van Gundy in October that Turkoglu would be leading his team in field goal attempts (15.1), he may have feared for his job security. It's worked out, though, with the Magic boasting a record of 46-25 record as of Friday night and Turkoglu – who so many considered an All-Star snub – likely in line to be taking the MIP handoff from Ellis at season's end.

Memphis small forward Rudy Gay – During the TNT telecast of All-Star weekend, Kenny Smith almost fell out of his chair when Charles Barkley made an outlandish comparison between Gay and Minnesota guard Rashad McCants.

The misguided point being made by Sir Chuck, in essence, was that they were both in a class of players whose talent and big-time college experiences (Gay at the University of Connecticut, McCants at North Carolina) had yet to translate in the pros. Clearly, Barkley hadn't watched Gay much this season.

The second-year player has nearly doubled his scoring (10.8 to 19.7) while improving his efficiency (42.2 percent shooting to 45.3), with his output convincing the Grizzlies' front office that he is the preeminent building block for the years ahead.

Sacramento point guard Beno Udrih – The MIP has often gone to players like Udrih, guys who show what they could've been doing all along if only the circumstances were different.

After alternating between Tony Parker's backup to third-string status and the proverbial doghouse of coach Gregg Popovich in his first three seasons, he has established himself as one of the league's rising young point guards. Udrih – who never averaged more than 14.4 per minutes per game – didn't hit the floor with the Kings until six games in, having been signed as emergency pickup when a thumb injury to Mike Bibby put the incumbent starter out for two and a half months.

The playing time came (32.7 minutes per game) and so has the production, as he has averaged 12.9 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 turnovers while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from three-point range. His increase of scoring from last season of 8.3 points per game ranks second in the league only behind Gay (8.7) and ahead of Turkoglu (6.7).

Portland power forward LaMarcus Aldridge – At some point last season, the Kings inquired about finding a deal to bring the rookie power forward to Sacramento.

And while they weren't likely alone in that department, chances are the Trail Blazers execs aren't taking those kinds of calls anymore. Aldridge is as big a part of Portland's surprise season as any, with his scoring increasing from nine points per game to 17.8 in the sort of output that went far beyond the proportionate rise in minutes (22.1 to 34.5). He would lead the league in the increased-scoring category if only he qualified, but there is a 70-game minimum from the season prior and Aldridge only played in 63 games in 2006-07.

Clippers center Chris Kaman – Injuries have limited the fifth-year big man to 52 games thus far, but he is a worthy darkhorse candidate.

In short, Kaman has gone from plodding his way to night after night of near double-doubles with minimal impact to becoming a go-to guy for Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy. Bright spots in Clippers land are few, and Kaman's scoring increase (10.1 points per game to career high 16) and the fact that he has nearly doubled his numbers in on the glass (career-high 13.1 rebounds per game after 7.8 last season) have given the fanbase something to enjoy.

Indiana shooting guard Mike Dunleavy – Another diamond in the rough, Dunleavy has finally found himself as a scorer after years of frustrating Golden State fans to no end.

His scoring is up by a large margin (from 12.7 points per game last season to career-high 18.3) along with his accuracy (45.4 percent overall last season to career-high 47.5 percent; 31.3 percent from three-point range to career-high 39.7 percent; 78.4 free throw-percentage to career-high 83.6).

With this kind of improvement around the league, the MIP may as well stand for Most Impossible Pick. But with a stretch run still left to go, someone will be in Ellis' position soon enough.