LeBron James Is the NBA's Top Player, But Can He Prove It in the Playoffs?

ESPN's ranking of the NBA's top 500 players may have generated plenty of controversy among basketball fans, especially those who favor purple and gold, but it's hard to argue with the network's choice for the top spot.

Sure, Kobe Bryant may not have deserved to be left out of the top five, and I'm still waiting for ESPN's Chris Paul explanation, but I feel the 24-hour sports network hit the nail on the head with their selection of Miami Heat forward LeBron James as the game's top talent.

In fact, I believe James has been the league's best player since 2009, and while Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose was awarded with the 2011 NBA MVP trophy, James just as easily could have captured that honor for the third consecutive time.

However, I come from the old-school NBA line of thought which says that all those glowing numbers don't mean a thing if you can't earn that ring.

In recent years it seems that the ability of an NBA superstar to lead his team to the league's ultimate award has been diminished by the perception that championships are more of a team achievement, and thus shouldn't weigh too heavily on an individual's standing.

Come again?

The only reason we as fans are forced to endure the tedium of an 82-game regular season is because of the potential rewards that lie at the end of the journey.

The NBA's regular season is only good for determining seeding for the league's second season, which is where the game's true legends are made.

Can you ever imagine Magic, Jordan, Bird or any other multiple title winners saying they would turn over their shimmering hardware for the sake of being considered a great regular-season player?

Those three players understood that winning championships is the only reason they play the games.

More importantly Jordan, Magic and Bird understood the correlation between postseason success and how it adds to a player's legacy.

For example Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone may be the greatest power forward in the history of the game, but his inability to capture one championship may have opened the door for San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan to claim that title.

There were other factors that played into Malone's postseason failures, and Jordan was one of them. But LeBron will not be able make that same claim, especially after last season.

In James' first season with the Miami Heat, the team went from an early round playoff casualty to the NBA Finals.

Of course James had some prominent help with co-superstars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and that collaboration of talent means that anything less than a championship in the next few seasons could relegate LeBron to Malone and Charles Barkley status.

James may be the most athletic player to ever grace an NBA court, and that superior athleticism has led to some amazing feats which I have never before witnessed during a professional game.

But, I've never witnessed a potential NBA legend score eight points in a Finals game either.

And this is the dilemma with James. LeBron has the talent and ability to be one of the best players the game has ever seen, but no one will ever hold him in that light until he proves he can lead his team to the NBA's promised land.

And with two of the game's best players as sidekicks James will no longer be able to rely on the poor teammate theory, and the Heat's 2011 Finals berth will only add to expectations and anticipation.

Legions of James fans will still exalt him even if he never wins a ring, but under their breath I'm sure they are waiting for the moment that they can finally exhale.

The rings are a team achievement thing can only go so far, and sooner or later James will have to prove he is truly worthy of being called a legendary player by winning in the postseason.