Is Kobe Bryant Really the NBA's Top Player? Ask LeBron James

Much of the criticism that has been directed towards LeBron James' free agent decision has been centered around his betrayal of the Cleveland Cavaliers, but it's hard to find fault with James making a business decision in his best interests.

But James' decision to join Dwyane Wade in Miami is another matter, because really, is that the path the NBA's best player should have taken?

For the past two seasons, the general perception around the NBA has been that James has supplanted Kobe Bryant as the league's best player, and from a statistical and physical point of view there is evidence to support that claim.

James' numbers have definitely been superior to Bryant's over the last few seasons. However, it's the things that can't be measured which give Bryant an edge over James, and the proof is in James' recent decision.

In the face of last season's postseason collapse by the Cavaliers, James was forced to face questions concerning his leadership abilities, his will, and his desire. His decision to join the Heat illustrates each aspect.

There were other teams who presented James the same opportunity to realize his dream of an NBA championship, but in each of those instances besides Miami, James would have been the unquestioned leader of his team.

It's a telling sign that James passed up the chance to be the sole face of a franchise in favor of sharing the spotlight with Wade, and it's hard for me to picture Bryant doing the same thing under similar circumstances.

In order to truly be the best player in the league, you have to first believe that yourself, and James would have had the chance to distinguish himself in another city.

Any success James achieves in Miami will forever be linked directly to Wade, and it will be very hard to ever claim the title of the game's top player when there is another worthy candidate on the same team.

Some observers have made the comparison of Wade and James to the Chicago Bulls' tandem of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, but there is fallacy in that logic because Pippen became a great player while playing next to Jordan.

There was never any discussion about who the top player was on the Bulls' team. Meanwhile, James joins Wade on a team where that subject is still up for debate, and there are loyalists on each side.

James, Wade, and Bryant are universally considered to be the game's top players, but it is likely Wade and James will be forced to sacrifice some of their own individual brilliance for the good of the team.

Bryant would never leave his team to join forces with another player who is considered to be the same level of talent, and even though it is a sign of Bryant's cocky nature, it's also what makes him great.

Bryant is similar to James as they both make decisions for selfish reasons, but Bryant chose to make his strive to be the game's greatest player his struggle alone, while James has decided to enlist some very elite help.

You could tell that James' decision to join Wade in Miami was a hard one, but it may not have been because he was torn about leaving his home state of Ohio.

James knows he will continue to be dogged by these issues, and regardless of how many championships he wins in Miami the question will always arise concerning whether or not James could have done it alone.

Maybe it's not James' goal to be the NBA's best player in the first place, and his true goal could really lie in winning multiple championships as Wade's side-kick.

Or maybe James' free agency decision is an affirmation of what he already knew in the first place.

James shouldn't be considered as a coward, a traitor, or a turncoat for his decision to join Wade in Miami, but he can no longer be considered as the NBA's top player either.