the things he used to.Krzyzewski is nearing the end of his 10-year run as U.S. coach, but the former Army captain has been invo

129-100. Did you watch that?(More importantly, did you pick up?Jonathon Simmons?)Its just one game. A little more than 1 percent of our season. Lest we forget, we are playing fantasy basketball.The Golden State Warriors could go 42-40 or 81-1. In the big picture, some early-season struggles -- including Tuesdays thumping at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs?-- are not going to affect?Stephen Curry?and Kevin Durants seasonlong offensive load.On paper? Durant was just fine with 27 points and 10 rebounds.Draymond Green? Better than fine with 18 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and two blocks.And if youre rostering Curry? The enterprise wasnt a total loss: 26 points, three 3-pointers and four assists in 34 minutes.(Klay Thompson and the?Zaza Pachulia-led consortium at center were another story. No Andrew Bogut made a big one-game difference on the boards.)So Im not here to panic.I am hot take-less.Im just here to tell you that youve all been absolutely, historically, metaphysically dead wrong regarding Currys value.His Average Draft Position of 3.7 proves it.Last season, Curry completed the greatest season in the history of fantasy basketball.(Full disclosure: I told you to look into trading him, based on the fact that no one -- no one -- had ever kept up his torrid first-half shooting pace during a full 82-game campaign. And while I was technically correct -- Curry did drop a little over the second half -- he still posted the best fantasy season ever.)Curry dropkicked the Player Rater with an aggregate score of 23.60, almost five full points ahead of his closest competition (James Harden at 18.83).Thats 25 percent more production than No. 2 (Harden), 33 percent more than Currys newest teammate, Durant, and 45 percent better than Durants latest ex-teammate,?Russell Westbrook.Yet as of opening night, Curry had dropped to No. 3 overall (3.7 ADP), well behind Westbrook (1.9) and Harden (2.2). Curry is closer to sliding behind Karl-Anthony Towns (4.6) and Durant (5.0) for the fifth spot.Youre saying that Curry will fall from 23.60 player rater points to about 18 points. Oh, youre not? Because thats what a drop to No. 3 would look like!Youre saying Harden and Westbrook will rise closer toward the 20 player rater-point range, while Curry slides to about 18. On paper, at first glance, the dynamics of your fantasy valuation are simple to grasp.To wit: You remove last seasons No. 3 overall player (Durant) from a high-usage partnership with last years No. 4 overall player (Westbrook).Then you combine Durant with last seasons No. 1 player (Curry), realizing theyll have to share the ball a bit more than Durant and Westbrook did for Durant to be happy.Following this logic, Durant will have to vulture touches from Curry, since Durants usage rate (30.6) more than doubles the small forward he is displacing (Harrison Barnes (14.9).Yet on the NBAs opening night (a one-game sample size, but still), Curry attempted a robust 18 shots. In 2015-16, he averaged 20.2 attempts per game.Curry launched 10 3-pointers on Tuesday and only made three. In 2015-16, Curry averaged 11.2 3-point attempts and made 5.1. For just about any other NBA player, three 3-pointers per game would be phenomenal.But even averaging three 3-pointers, Curry could still be our fantasy MVP. So far, the evidence that Curry will slide from fantasys top spot is purely anecdotal.Lets look at the arguments aimed against him.1. Durant will steal Currys offenseThis assumption lies in the misguided notion that Curry is a volume-dependent player.Which ignores that even if Curry was a volume-dependent player, hes unlikely to suffer more than a 10 percent to 15 percent hit in the volume-based fantasy categories Durant is liable to vulture from his point guard (points, 3-pointers).I base this on what has happened in past superteam conflagrations. My favorite comp is LeBron Decision 1.0: How?LeBron James joining the Heat --?Dwyane Wades Heat -- depressed Wades statistical output.Its a similar situation. The combining of two top talents at a career peak. (As opposed to LeBron Decision 2.0, where the surrounding stars -- Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love -- had other issues fighting their production).Wade suffered only a 5 percent drop in aggregate fantasy value.2009-10 Wade: 26.6 PTS, 19.6 FGA, 6.5 AST, 4.8 REB, 1.8 STL, 1.1 BLK, 0.9 3PT, .476 FG% 2010-11 Wade: 25.5 PTS, 18.2 FGA, 4.6 AST, 6.4 REB, 1.5 STL, 1.1 BLK, 0.8 3PT, .500 FG%Wade attempted fewer shots, but LeBrons presence created more space and drove up his field goal percentage. He only scored 1.1 points per game less. Wades assists dropped, but his rebounds rose.Take a look at Currys line from last year. Heres what a 5 percent volume drop would look like across the board.2015-16 Curry: 30.1 PTS, 20.2 FGA, 6.7 AST, 5.4 REB, 2.1 STL, 0.2 BLK, 5.1 3PT, .504 FG% 2016-17 Curry: 28.6 PTS, 19.2 FGA, 6.4 AST, 5.1 REB, 2.0 STL, 0.2 BLK, 4.8 3PT, .504 FG%Thats still most likely a No. 1 overall in fantasy stat line. Versatile, well-matched superstars figure out how to mesh. And Curry/Durant is supremely well-matched. (By the way, this valuation roughly equivocates with ESPNs projected line, which has Curry ranked No. 4 overall. I respectfully disagree that this valuation would leave him behind Harden, Westbrook and Towns.)2. Loss of touches will cleave out a hunk of Currys fantasy valueA lot of people fixate on the boffo scoring numbers (first in fantasy points scored production). But Currys fantasy portfolio is so diversified that its hard to keep up with all of his strengths.Curry was fantasys top steals producer in 2015-16 (3.67 player rater points). He was fantasys top free throw performer (2.84 player rater points). He was ninth in field goal percentage production (2.55 points),?while destroying every 3-point production metric in sight. He was eighth in assist production. Among point guards, he was third in rebounding.In the negative column? He didnt block a whole lot of shots.Curry generates so much value via percentages, steals, assists and rebounds (relative to his position) that even a 20 percent drop in shot attempts (and its accompanying drop in field goal percentage production, since that stat depends on volume of shot attempts), points scored and 3-pointers wouldnt take his No. 1 status.And before you rail some more about Durant vs. Barnes, remember that the Warriors had to sacrifice some depth to fit KD under the cap.Even after a 20 percent drop, Curry would still have 20.95 player rater points. Which would still beat 2015-16 Harden by over two player rater points.For sake of argument, lets leave Curry at 20.9 player rater points.3. Harden will gain value under Mike DAntoniEveryone gains value under Mike DAntoni. Tom Gugliotta is still gaining value under Mike DAntoni, and he retired 11 years ago.And Im statistically salivating about the Harden playing point guard. DAntonis system is PG-driven. Harden will absolutely hit career highs within the new?Houston Rockets?coachs pace-inflated system.But the truth is that Harden doesnt have much further to rise. Hardens fantasy production is a little more volume-driven than Currys. A small rise in assists isnt going to accompany boosts across the board ... especially in efficiency-driven categories. And triple that thought in a turnover league.Hardens field goal percentage isnt going to rise. Outside of a 20 percent increase in assist production, his other volume-based numbers might see a 10 percent bump at best.Lets be generous and factor in a 10 percent bump in aggregate value. Absolute best case, Harden lands around 20.6 player rater points, which would still be behind our 20 percent volume-devalued Curry.4. Westbrook would gain value without DurantNo Durant. Contact year. Westbrook will run wild.But how much wilder can Westbrook run than he did in 2015-16? Lets go to our fantasy projections, a sort of mélange between his 2014-15 (injured KD-inflated) and 2015-16 (more efficient) stats.2016-17 Westbrook: 28.7 PTS, 9.5 AST, 8.3 REB, 1.9 STL, 0.3 BLK, 1.4 3PTNice volume, but Westbrooks 3-point and field goal percentage production will still lack a No. 1 overall panache.Like Harden, volume dependency lowers your fantasy floor.Trading an assist and a some field goal percentage for five extra points and a half-rebound per game will not push Westbrook past our 20-percent-depressed Curry.These projected numbers would nudge Westbrook into the 18-player rater-point range.Which would still leave him at No. 3 overall, at best.Lets go further. Even with an ultra-generous, somewhat-historic 20 percent rise in overall aggregate value? Which would basically leave him averaging a triple-double?Westbrook would land at 19.5 player rater points.Which would still be No. 3 overall at best.ConclusionFine. Lets bump up Harden 20 percent overall too. Which is less likely to happen than a 20 percent Curry drop.That would give Harden about 22.4 player rater points.Even factoring the most generous of pro-Harden, anti-Curry statistical projections? Curry still has a punchers chance at finishing No. 1 overall.Given his second-year status, Towns might have a better chance of displacing Curry.Heck. Given a higher word allotment, I could marshal an argument that Curry and Durant could finish 1-2 on the Player Rater.Dont get snowed by volume. Pure volume is for amateurs. Without an accompanying bump in efficiency, usage can only carry you so far.And in a turnover league? The discussion is expunged. Any pro-Harden/Westbrook argument loses 99 percent of its oxygen.In the end?Youre being very, very mean to Steph Curry. Clearance Custom Jerseys . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Authentic Custom Jerseys . 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RIO DE JANEIRO -- You love them now, right America?Mike Krzyzewski and Geno Auriemma may have their haters in college basketball, but this is the Olympics. This is when patriotic pride trumps school spirit, when there is no Tar Heel blue, only red, white and blue.So all those fans chanting USA! USA! should be shouting Go Coach K!Well, I hope theyre saying that. Im not sure all of them are completely saying that, Krzyzewski said with a laugh. But I would hope that most people are.College basketball, built on regional rivalries and March Madness, makes it impossible for anyone to be universally beloved, especially when theyve won as much as Krzyzewski has with the Duke men or Auriemma with the Connecticut women.So Auriemma also laughs when pondering fans on both sides of Tobacco Road in North Carolina, or way up on Rocky Top in Tennessee, suddenly being on board with the U.S. coaches.Well, some people are pro-USA but not necessarily pro-Coach K and Geno, Auriemma said. So Im sure theres a faction out there of anti-Duke, anti-UConn people who, `We love the USA so much that we want them to win in spite of those two guys.Theres little need to consider that in most of the Olympics, individual sports with emotional tales of underdogs overcoming the odds to win gold for their country. Thats what makes womens gymnastics so popular.But these guys arent underdogs, theyre definitely not Americas Sweethearts, and they dont come around every four years. For some fans, theyre the Evil Empire, in their faces every November to March.You have to put that aside right now, U.S. forward and former Tar Heels star Harrison Barnes said, although UNC did have a better season this year.Krzyzewski has won five NCAA championships and more than 1,000 games, most in Division I history. The Blue Devils are college basketballs version of the New York Yankees or Dallas Cowboys, the team that fans either love or love to hate -- and the haters believe the TV announcers and referees love them too much.Auriemma has won a record 11 national championships, a man in a womens world who doesnt apologize for the way he wins or talks. His comments sometimes overshadow his games, even back when the Huskies played Pat Summitts Tennessee teams.Now wearing their countrys colors and undefeated heading into the quarterfinals -- Auriemmas team is dominating at a record-setting pace and plays Japan on Tuesday; Krzyzewskis squad has beenn challenged and faces Argentina on Wednesday -- the guy from Chicago (Krzyzewski) and Philadelphia (Auriemma) should now be popular around the nation.ddddddddddddI dont think they really think about those things, U.S. mens assistant Jim Boeheim said. I know Geno doesnt. He thrives on the fact that they root against him.Boeheim, friends with both, said the difference is that Krzyzewski is more careful than Auriemma in choosing his words, not wanting to offend anyone.Mike cares, Boeheim said. Geno doesnt care.Auriemmas response?First of all, Im surprised that Boeheim is even aware of anything anybody says, because he lives in his own world up there in Syracuse, Auriemma quipped. So thats the biggest shocker so far of the Olympics, the fact that he actually pays attention to anything.Mikes been at it a lot longer at a higher level than I have. And hes a West Point guy, and very smart, really bright, and knows how to think before he speaks. So why is that surprising, that I stick my foot in my mouth sometimes?He said hes tried to choose his words more carefully since beginning what he calls the unbelievable experience of becoming U.S. womens coach in 2009, realizing that on some issues hes speaking not just for UConn, but for the country. Auriemma said the writers who cover the Huskies like him less now because he wont say some of the things he used to.Krzyzewski is nearing the end of his 10-year run as U.S. coach, but the former Army captain has been involved with U.S. teams since 1979. He said people who dont necessarily root for him have shown they appreciate him.They say, `Coach, thanks for coaching USA, thanks for taking the time to coach USA, he said. And I tell them, `Look, its an honor. Thanks for watching and cheering for us.And cheering for him.Whether you like Duke or not, you cant underestimate what Coach Ks done. Whether you like UConn or not, you have to respect what Coach Auriemmas done, womens and former UConn star Diana Taurasi said. And I think the more that theyre seen in this setting, you know what, its not (they win) because theyre at Duke, its not because theyre at UConn. Its because theyre great coaches.---AP Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg contributed to this report.---Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney ' ' '