Improve NOT Nerf !!!
Because nerfs can be improvements.
Unless you mean buffing when you say improvements, in which case, only buffing and not nerfing leads to ridiculous power creep, which causes balance between professions to become even more tenuous, and trivializes PvE content even further, which would require buffs to PvE enemies and blah blah blah. In order to reduce the effectiveness of one thing you need to buff everything else.
Or, instead of that, you nerf the one thing that’s better than everything else.
This is about balance theory, not thief specifically, don’t get your kittens in a bunch, thief forums. Even though bunches of kittens are awesome.