This past October, fans on RealGM voted for who they thought would be the best player to start a franchise with and Chris Bosh was the winner.  A few cynics and conspiracy theorists claimed our Toronto faction of site users cyber-stuffed the ballot box, particularly when LeBron James was upset by Chauncey Billups in the first round.

[In the interest of full disclosure, he was actually upset twice because we suspected there was legitimate voter fraud when we saw that approximately 90% of our users prefer Billups over James.  While I wouldn?t mind starting a franchise with Billups, I would rather dig in versus Randy Johnson in the 1993 All-Star Game than face the backlash of ?passing? on James.]

But by simply judging our contest at face value, our users feel a lanky, left-handed, 6-10 forward, who can score both outside and inside is how they would like to build a ball club.  

With this in mind, I now understand why Tyler Hansbrough decided to put a hold on his rookie contract to stick around Chapel Hill for another year even if it might mean slipping out of the lottery.

To reach this season?s Final Four in Atlanta, you will need to be huge up front.  Florida?s Joakim Noah and Al Horford will be defending their National Championship, Greg Oden looks like Bill Russell at times, while Pittsburgh senior Aaron Gray brings seven feet and three years of Big East experience.  

Fortunately for the Tar Heels, an excellent freshman class, featuring Brandan Wright, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington joins Hansbrough.

Wright is a 6-10 southpaw forward from Tennessee, who chose Chapel Hill over Duke, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.  

He has exhibited great maturity and consistency for a freshman, scoring in double-figures during all 16 of his college games.  Wright is averaging 15.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game and is already every bit as valuable to Roy Williams as Hansbrough.

Hansbrough sometimes struggles against players he cannot simply out-fundamental, which was the case when the Tar Heels played Gonzaga in the semifinals of the N.I.T.  Josh Heytvelt (along with a host of double-teams) suffocated Hansbrough, keeping him to just nine points.

Wright kept the Heels in the game, finishing with 21 points and 13 rebounds.  His length was too much for Gonzaga to contend with and it is an element that UNC didn't have last season.

In a more recent game versus Rutgers, he scored just one bucket in the first half, a brilliant move off of the left block where he recognized the impending double-team and beat his defender baseline with a quick pivot, took one dribble and elevated quickly for a two-handed dunk.  

The Tar Heels are now the number one team in the country and can thank the NBA?s new age limit rule for Wright and also realize that their window to win with him is small.

?He was contemplating a jump to the NBA before the age limitation was put in place,? said Jeff Lockridge of the Tennessean in an interview with RealGM.  Lockridge covered Wright?s high school career and knows him and his family quite well.

?He won?t be in Chapel Hill for 3-4 years,? added Lockridge. ?But for some reason, I have trouble seeing him leave after just one year unless UNC wins the national title. He wants to be seasoned and ready when he gets there. My hunch is he makes a bid for National Player of the Year as a sophomore and leaves after two years as the No. 1 pick of 2008.?

While Wright is a force defensively because of his physical presence, he struggles with his off-the-ball defense, losing sight of either his man or the ball. This lack of vision leaves him vulnerable to the back door play.

While Wright has a long ways to go defensively, his basketball IQ is very impressive, suggesting he?ll improve quickly.  

?It?s up there,? said Lockridge about Wright?s basketball IQ. ?The experience of playing for the USA Junior Olympic Team helped. The other thing that helped was having a high school coach like George Pitts. Pitts is considered one of the top five prep coaches (Tennessee) has seen.?

Wright appears likely to be a top-five pick in the 2007 draft should he declare.

?A number of teams I spoke with saw him as a mid first rounder with a chance to be a lottery pick before the season, but he has really developed quickly,? said Aran Smith of NBADraft.net. ?He's very unselfish and finds scoring opportunities without forcing things, which is rare for a young player. His vision and passing from the high post is unusual for a big man. He appears to be just scratching the surface of his potential, but needs to become more aggressive.

?He's a little like Durant in the sense that the game comes so easy for him, he can drop 20 and 10 without breaking a sweat. You wonder how much he'll work at it to maximize his talents at the next level. But if he decides he wants to be great, there's no stopping him.?

One coach whose team has played North Carolina this season told RealGM that he reminded him of Hakim Warrick, which is, hopefully for a team that spends a top-five pick on him, his basement.

?He's a tough guy to compare,? said Smith. ?He's only 6-9 1/2 where Garnett's probably 7-1, but his arms are so long and his skill level handling, passing and shooting are all tremendous like KG. The fluidity with which he gets up and down the floor plus they have a similar body type. I've heard other comparisons like Bosh, but right now I'd say KG is the closest.?

Clearly, the runner-ups of this year's lottery will be the first and second losers on Oden, but taking Brandan Wright with one of those consolation selections may still yield a franchise player, at least what RealGM's users see as one.

Next week we will feature the 'other' top freshman not named Greg Oden, Kevin Durant from Texas.