Miami Heat point guard Mario Chalmers earned respect from fan's during last year's Playoffs, playing an instrumental role in the Miami Heat's championship run. Now the young guard considers himself to be one of the top-10 point guards in the league.

And according to Chalmers, who will be entering only his fifth NBA season, he's barely approached the surface in terms of his talent level and production.

 In Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the Kansas product had a breakthrough 25-point performance, with 12 of those points coming in the fourth quarter. He followed that up with a solid 10 point, 7 assists, 2 rebound line in the series-clinching Game 5.

Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo recently came out with a bold statement 'stating that he was the league's best point guard. Chalmers was asked about Rondo's statement and said:

"He's not the best, but he's in the top five. There are a lot of great point guards in the league, Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Steve Nash. There are a lot of great guards in the NBA so for him to say he's the best is a pretty bold statement. I'd say that I [Mario Chalmers] am in the front end of the top 10."

Chalmers understands the hard work it takes to earn such an honor, and Rondo certainly isn't there yet.

If Chalmers wants to be the NBA's top point guard by the time he retires though he's going to have to either leave the Miami Heat, to be a more central talent to his team, or he's going to have to help turn the Heat's "Big Three" into the "Big Four."