The Threematch: What everyone has been waiting for?

Well, all of THAT kind of sucked. Thankfully the NBA's preseason-like playoffs have concluded and the league is right back where it started this year with Cleveland getting another chance to "defend the land" against the greatest superteam ever assembled in the Golden State Warriors. Neither team has been tested thus far throughout the postseason (although shout out to Indiana on a fun series) and frankly, anybody that claims to have any idea what a superduperteam can do versus the most dominant lethargic postseason team I have ever seen is lying. Nobody has any clue what will happen with these two when neither team has faced any real adversity (Lebron's game 3 sickness does not count) nor have either them given full effort for three consecutive games these playoffs. How can you tell when a team isn't giving full effort? It's pretty simple really. For Golden State, not giving full effort usually involves a heavy reliance on JaVale McGee in the paint and heavy minutes to the Patrick McCaws and David Wests of the world. Cleveland got to the point against Boston where they just let Kevin Love take a majority of his shots from beyond the arc and Lebron was being a bit more passive than we've seen from him all season.

These playoffs were soooooooo obvious that I stopped recapping the series immediately because there was absolutely nothing to learn from the results other than which teams should be ready to blow things up and start over anew. Toronto is about to lose Kyle Lowry in free agency (Philly?) and even if they don't, the man looked past his prime this postseason, which is his natural postseason style of play. Kyle Lowry is not winning anybody a championship in their starting lineup. The Clippers also need to blow things up and I would start by removing Doc Rivers from the front office but, since that team has no balls after an eternity of sucking and this sudden, five-year stretch of success under Rivers, they'll probably just keep everybody and depress their fans more than fifty years of losing ever did. Houston and Oklahoma City will return to the playoffs next year but, both teams need to find ways to compliment two uncomplimentable (new word!) stat-hogs for a shot at the Western Conference Finals. The good news is that the future of the Celtics, Bucks, Spurs, Wizards and Jazz will be fun to watch. Just don't count on any of them to prod their way into the Finals while Lebron and the greatest team ever assembled are still fully functioning.


#1 Golden State Warriors v. #2 Cleveland Cavaliers
In order to decipher a winner for this series, one has to observe the key differences between last year's GREATEST FINALS EVER (in terms of entertainment value, sorry Golden State) and this year's squads.

1. Mike Brown will likely be coaching Golden State instead of Steve Kerr due to Kerr's continuously scary back issues.
2. Draymond Green is coming in with no ejectionable offenses and therefor, is unlikely to get suspended during the series.
3. Cleveland lost Timofey Mozgov, Matthew Dellavedova, Mo Williams and Jordan McRae and added Kyle Korver, Deron Williams, Derrick Williams and Kay Felder
4. Golden State lost Leandro Barbosa, Anderson Varejao, Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli and Brandon Rush and added Kevin Durant (!), Patrick McCaw, David West, JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia, Matt Barnes and Damian Jones
5. Ty Lue is no longer a rookie head coach.
6. Stephen Curry didn't just suffer a minor ankle injury but both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving did (Pachulia is injured also but, that is not that important)
7. The Warriors weren't trying to go for a historic regular season and instead, saved all of their dominant nonsense for the postseason.
8. Klay Thompson has been frozen cold the last 45 days.
9. Golden State has a 3-day rest edge over Cleveland as opposed to Cleveland having 7 extra days before the Warriors took out OKC in 7.
10. Even though it doesn't mean anything as far as winning or losing are concerned, the Warriors have a higher Boring:Fun ratio with KD on the court and it's sad that something as beautiful to watch as Steph and Klay hitting 600 threes a year is no longer this team's pace.

Scott Cunningham - Getty Images
The addition of Kyle Korver will help Cleveland in response to any deep-shooting runs that the Warriors go on.

Ultimately, we all just want a fun series with exciting plays, drama, ridiculous box scores and no more testicular interruption from Draymond.

                          My Pick: Warriors in 4.

If anybody knows how to prevent Lebron James from winning an NBA Finals, that man is Mike Brown. In all seriousness, I think Golden State enjoyed their rest and if it's going to be an ugly series, I'd rather have witnessed history that would forever alter the league (Adam Silver would go to the furthest lengths in order to make sure no former MVPs join a 73-win team again unless that MVP is Derrick Rose) than see Golden State win in 5 and start the "Can Durant ever be an all-time great?" discussions. Plenty of weird shit can go down between now and game 4 but, this prediction was made without any injuries predicted (there's bound to be one) and under the belief that this is truly the greatest team ever assembled even though their bench is not quite as deep as the past two seasons.

Again, I don't claim to know what in the wide world of sports is about to happen over the next two weeks, all I know is that it needs to be entertaining or historic to make fans forget the past month and a half of non-competitive basketball. Thank god for the unpredictable mess that is Major League Baseball.

The NBA Playoffs from Hell

By now, everyone holds the same, correct opinion that this year's NBA Postseason has been absolute trash in so many unimaginable ways. The Cavaliers and Warriors were the obvious favorites in their respective conferences but, even naive mid-April Andy Todd didn't have both teams sweeping their conferences the way they are about to do. Every game featuring Golden State has been a similar experience to that time as an 8-year old when I sprayed that grape spray candy in my eyes (accidental, not an experiment at all, I swear. 2/10 would not reccomend).

These had to be far less expensive than pepper spray. Somebody alert the police.

The problem with Golden State is not at all a problem for Golden State as it is for the NBA. The problem isn't an issue at all for the team itself as this is working magnificently well for them but, they just plain do not need Kevin Durant until the NBA Finals and he's ruined the exciting "let's just shoot threes from half court blindfolded because Steph has a bet to settle" style with which the Warriors used to play. Why shoot highly contested 35 footers when someone's being double-covered and either KD or Draymond are wide open from Splashville, USA? It is just unwatchable thus far and the wheezing, robotic Spurs are highly unlikely to present a challenge or any heightened sense of excitement.

It isn't fair to solely place the blame on America's most boring superstar, Kevin Durant, on this being Charles Barkley's "Worst playoffs ever, Erneh". In fact, I think it's time we overhaul the entire rule book and figure out a way to not give the MVP award to Russell Westbrook or James Harden. We were all wrong about both of them being anything more than stat-padders that never cared about winning the championship as much as their own personal brands as Lebron and the Bay Area Quartet rested up for the only four-to-seven games from this postseason that anybody will be able to recall (barring more blowouts). Who can blame either guy for never truly being all in when inevitable defeat was in their futures no matter how hard they tried? At least they'll both be healthy for next season's pointless regular season victory laps.

That sounded far less harsh in my head than it does in print and these two players do not deserve as much criticism as they will and have received either when their coaches set them up for disastrous failures. Whether or not Russell Westbrook has the greatest teammates in the world was made entirely irrelevant when Billy Donovan set a new record for Usage Rate of a single player (Westbrook) over the regular and somehow made things even harder and more ball-hoggish in the postseason only for the entire Thunder bandwagon to go down in flames after five games.

Donovan is not even the worst example of coaching "expertise" from the western conference this past month. According to Mike D'antoni, trotting out a seven-player rotation featuring one true big (the still too young to be 100% trusted Clint Capela) is the ideal supporting cast for his one superstar player. Good luck convincing free agents to build a big three when they'll be forced to make up for Harden's defense and drive to the paint for forty minutes a game come playoff time. There's a reason this man has lost all five postseason series he has been involved in against Gregg Popovich and it's his constant refusal to make adjustments in high-intensity situations. Strictly sticking to D'Antoni-ball and not at least trying to mix things up defensively will guarantee that the fantastic regular season coach never wins a championship. We've seen enough of him, unlike Donovan, Westbrook and Harden, to determine he's never going to hold up the Larry O'Brien trophy due to stubbornness. He is the NBA's Andy Reid and without a sudden change of thinking in his sixties, Houston has a problem.

Kirby Lee - USA TODAY Sports
Regular season success? Check. Likeable personality? Check. Mustache? Yes!

Cleveland has at least managed to keep their games close (Indiana) or fun in a "ha, there's no way we're blowing this" manner (Toronto). There are some legitimate questions about Tyronn Lue's defense and the team could actually drop a game or two in either Boston or Washington but, there are very few who believe the Cavaliers will lose in the third round. I'm not even certain those conspiracy theorists exist. We are all impatiently awaiting the finals and this is exactly what every pessimistic fan said we'd be doing all the way back in July and it honestly sucks because I too want to see the Warriors and Cavs play right away but, what if one of them doesn't make it? Wouldn't that be an even darker timeline?

The nice thing about the lackluster postseason is that it has given me some time to enjoy this surprisingly long Spring season. I have also been pleasantly surprised by the never-ending cycle of great music these last few weeks from Perfume Genius's No Shape record to Feist's quietly badass new album to the latest from Sylvan Esso. I guess the playoffs haven't totally consisted of trash. After all, my dynasty fantasy baseball team is in third and nothing motivates me quicker than losing interest in a basketball game to work on some unfinished business (wink, wink, there's a post a-comin' along). The Inside The NBA watched:Actual live basketball watched ratio has never been more even for me.

Here are my picks for the conference finals...

Warriors over Spurs in 4.
Cavaliers over whomever in 4.

Those takes 🔥🔥🔥 enough for you?

NBA First Round Summary and Second Round Picks

A theme that has become all too common in the first rounds of the NBA Playoffs recently is a majority of the interesting series' being defined by injuries. Blake Griffin, Rajon Rondo, Jusuf Nurkic, Tony Allen and (kind of reaching here) Jabari Parker's injuries all ended up costing their teams a game or two, if not the sefies. When Rudy Gobert went down 17 seconds into game 1 of the Clips-Jazz series, we all assumed the Jazz were in deep trouble but, thank the basketball gods for "Iso" Joe Johnson as Utah gave us the one game 7 that casual fans typically root for. Rudy Gobert even managed to be a key contributor after only missing a week due to a knee sprain and looked like he wasn't affected by the injury at all.

Sean M. Haffrey/Getty Images
Rudy Gobert saved the Jazz and the NBA from a horrid Clippers-Warriors series.

Congratulations to the Jazz, Rockets, Spurs, Warriors, Raptors, Cavaliers, Wizards and Celtics on advancing to the second round. Typically, I would go a bit further in depth on the first round of the playoffs but, with the NFL Draft taking over my headspace for the weekend, I think I will just leave my picks here and cross my fingers that I don't get embarrassed.

Celtics over Wizards in 7*
Cavaliers over Raptors in 5
Warriors over Jazz in 4
Spurs over Rockets in 7

* = Pick made before game 1 on Sunday.

The most "heated" series will be Wiz-Celts as a result of some fighting and symbolic black shirt-wearing by Wizard players during the regular season. The best series in terms of unpredictability will be Rockets-Spurs where Mike D'antoni's new-fangled basketball strategies meets the oldest team remaining in the postseason with one of the all-time greats (Gregg Popovich) leading the way. The Warriors should sweep because it's the greatest regular season team ever plus Kevin Durant. The Cavaliers might give it their all this series and even if they choose to hold off on giving full effort for another round, they'll still beat the Raptors in 6 or fewer games.

Good luck to the players providing us with entertainment on a nightly basis and may their limbs stay in tact.

2nd & 3rd Round Mock Draft

The first night of the NFL Draft was quite possibly the most interesting first round ever. There were multiple league-altering trades, the largest crowd ever present for a draft, Takkarist McKinley was fired the fuck up and there were an abundance of surprises including Gareon Conley passing a lie-detector test and going to Oakland, the Bears giving up on Mike Glennon after a month for Mitchell Trubisky, every Alabama player slipping and Kansas City choosing to wait three-ish years on reworking Patrick Mahomes back-foot heavy release. It was a night to remember and there is still a ton of drama to unfold on night 2 of 3 of the NFL Draft.

Takkarist McKinley won over many new fans with his intensity just from being drafted.

Here's a quick look at what COULD end up happening in rounds 2 and 3 before a whole series of trades ruins my mocks again...

Second Round
33. Packers - RB Dalvin Cook (Florida State)
34. Seahawks - G Forrest Lamp (Western Kentucky)
35. Jaguars - OT Cam Robinson (Alabama)
36. Bears - S Obi Melifonwu (Washington)
37. Rams - C Pat Elflein (Ohio State)
38. Chargers - DT Chris Wormley (Michigan)
39. Jets - QB DeShone Kizer (Notre Dame)
40. Panthers - CB Kevin King (Washington)
41. Bengals - DT Malik McDowell (Michigan State)
42. Saints - DE Tim Williams (Alabama)
43. Eagles - CB Quincy Wilson (Florida)
44. Bills - WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (USC)
45. Cardinals - G Dan Feeney (Indiana)
46. Colts - CB Chidobe Awuzie (Colorado)
47. Ravens - WR Zay Jones (East Carolina)
48. Vikings - C Ethan Pocic (LSU)
49. Washington - RB Alvin Kamara (Tennessee)
50. Buccaneers - OLB Tyus Bowser (Houston)
51. Broncos - DT Davon Godchaux (LSU)
52. Browns - CB Desmond King (Iowa)
53. Lions - WR Chris Godwin (Penn State)
54. Dolphins - CB Sidney Jones (Washington)
55. Giants - ILB Zach Cunningham (Vanderbilt)
56. Raiders - DT Montravious Adams (Auburn)
57. Texans - CB Fabian Moreau (UCLA)
58. Seahawks - OT Taylor Moton (Western Michigan)
59. Chiefs - DE Carl Lawson (Auburn)
60. Cowboys - CB Teez Tabor (Florida)
61. Packers - CB Howard Wilson (Houston)
62. Steelers - S Budda Baker (Washington)
63. Falcons - OT Dorian Johnson (Pittsburgh)
64. Panthers - OT Roderick Johnson (Florida State)

Third Round
65. Browns - DT Dalvin Tomlinson (Alabama)
66. 49ers - QB Davis Webb (California)
67. 49ers - S Marcus Williams  (Utah)
68. Jaguars - TE Jordan Leggett (Clemson)
69. Rams - WR Cooper Kupp (Eastern Washington)
70. Jets - TE George Kittle (Iowa)
71. Chargers - RB Curtis Samuel (Ohio State)
72. Patriots - OLB Jordan Willis (Kansas State)
73. Bengals - CB Shaquill Griffin (Central Florida)
74. Ravens - RB Brian Hill (Wyoming)
75. Bills - RB D'onta Foreman (Texas)
76. Saints - OLB Ryan Anderson (Alabama)
77. Cardinals - WR Josh Malone (Tennessee)
78. Ravens - DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (Villanova)
79. Vikings - OT Dion Dawkins (Temple)
80. Colts - OT Larry Ogunjobi (Charlotte)
81. Washington - CB Cordrea Tankersley (Clemson)
82. Broncos - WR Malachi Dupre (LSU)
83. Titans - DE DeMarcus Walker (Florida State)
84. Buccaneers - S Josh Jones (NC State)
85. Lions - RB James Conner (Pittsburgh)
86. Vikings - S Tedric Thompson (Colorado)
87. Giants - S Marcus Maye (Minnesota)
88. Raiders - ILB Raekwon McMillan (Ohio State)
89. Texans - OLB Vince Biegel (Wisconsin)
90. Seahawks - DE Derek Rivers (Youngstown State)
91. Bills - OLB Duke Riley (LSU)
92. Cowboys - OLB Alex Anzalone (Florida)
93. Packers - DE Tarell Basham (Ohio)
94. Steelers - DE Dawuane Smoot (Illinois)
95. Seahawks - S Justin Evans (Texas A&M)
96. Patriots - G Isaac Asiata (Utah)
97. Dolphins - OT David Sharpe (Florida)
98. Panthers - WR Dede Westbrook (Oklahoma)
99. Eagles - WR Carlos Henderson (Louisiana Tech)
100. Titans - CB Jalen Myrick (Minnesota)
101. Broncos - TE Jeremy Sprinkle (Arkansas)
102. Seahawks - OT Zach Banner (USC)
103. Saints - TE Jake Butt (Michigan)
104. Chiefs - ILB Kendell Beckwith (LSU)
105. Steelers - WR Amara Darboh (Michigan)
106. Seahawks - CB Cam Sutton (Tennessee)
107. Jets - OT Antonio Garcia (Troy)

Have a great weekend as the draft concludes, first round NBA series' finish up and baseball continues baseballing.

Enjoy my 2017 NFL Mock Draft before everyone slips

By now, everyone understands the concept of a mock draft and it is a fairly easy task to complete, although accuracy is always optional, but this year's class seems especially difficult and it begins at the very top. "What are the Browns thinking?" is typically a question asked with an exclamation but, this year the Browns are all in on moneyball (or some variation of it) and have shown a willingness and affinity for acquiring more draft picks by trading down so, that is certainly a possibility with both the #1 and #12 picks. Do any of the other two teams (New Orleans and Tennessee) with multiple firsts trade around their picks also? Who knows. It's a fun idea to daydream about but, making up future trades is not really a mock draft's purpose unless you are a professional NFL GM and that I am not (Although, I will hint at teams looking to move down or up without explicitly mapping out a complicated trade prediction).

Other storylines revolve around all of the various red flags that might tear this and every other mock draft apart when Reuben Foster (diluted urine sample), Jabrill Peppers (diluted urine sample), Caleb Brantley (battery arrest) and Patrick Mahomes (odd man out at QB) all fall and have their every movement documented in the green room on live television. One of the more exciting talents on my draft board is also not going to get drafted anywhere close to the first round due to a recorded punch (at Oklahoma) and a rumored punch and more (in high school). The amount of storylines are impossible to keep up with at the moment and the way teams view some of the concerns like position scarcity or off-field issues obviously make a ton of difference on a pick-by-pick basis. After all, Joe Mixon is a legitimate character concern in a draft for a league that views Colin Kaepernick as a problem so, there's no reason Mixon should be drafted... right?

The first domino to fall will be...

#1. Cleveland Browns - DE Myles Garrett (Texas A&M)

AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Current Depth (DE): Emmanuel Ogbah, Nate Orchard, Carl Nassib, Tyrone Holmes
Other Options: QBs Mitchell Trubisky & Deshaun Watson, Trade?
Much like Pablo Honey is technically a Radiohead album, the Cleveland Browns are technically an NFL franchise and the offensive line is their "Creep", the only thing that is 100% ready for primetime and indicative of what this team wants to become. Nothing this team has done since the Courtney Brown pick would be considered "obvious" and they could go out on a limb here by trying to find their franchise quarterback again (If they do that here, it would likely be Trubisky). Again, everything is possible but, Myles Garrett is the top prospect by a fairly decent margin and Nate Orchard is not a good starter.

#2. San Francisco 49ers - QB Mitchell Trubisky (North Carolina)

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

Current Depth (QB): Brian Hoyer, Matt Barkley
Other Options: QB Deshaun Watson, DEs Myles Garrett & Solomon Thomas, Safeties Jamal Adams & Malik Hooker
Another team in need of pretty much everything, the 49ers are nowhere near competing for a playoff spot and might want to build a team around some stopgap quarterbacks before finding their leader for the future. Unfortunately for them, the only two QBs new GM John Lynch was able to acquire from the scrap heap were Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley: Yawns in quarterback form. The ceilings on both are not high enough for the team to not consider adding a fancy new arm early in the draft. I think that the ownership wants to avoid another shotgunnner with questionable accuracy in some eyes (Watson) and they'll bite on the bigger unknown future of Trubisky.

#3. Chicago Bears - S Malik Hooker (Ohio State)

Joe Maiorana - USA TODAY Sports

Current Depth (S): Quintin Demps, Adrian Amos, Harold Jones-Quartey, Chris Prosinski, DeAndre Houston-Carson, Deon Bush
Other Options: DE Solomon Thomas, QBs Deshaun Watson & Mitchell Trubisky, S Jamal Adams, Trade?
Chicago is just like the first two teams in that they COULD reasonably select a quarterback (I'd like Watson to go here) but, there are so many holes to still fill on this roster that it is much safer to not embarrass yourselves with Mike Glennon for a year. Ballhawking safety Malik Hooker is a neat fix for a defensive backfield that was completely broken by injuries and underperformance in 2016.

#4. Jacksonville Jaguars - TE O.J. Howard (Alabama)

Kim Klement - USA TODAY Sports

Current Depth (TE): Mychal Rivera, Marcedes Lewis, Ben Koyack, Neal Sterling, E.J. Bibbs, Gannon Sinclair
Other Options: QB Deshaun Watson, RB Leonard Fournette, DE Solomon Thomas, Trade?
Whether Tom Coughlin was telling the truth or not this Spring when he insisted that the team will fix Blake Bortles will be tested when a certain Clemson-based quarterback is still available at pick #4. I expect Jacksonville to somehow double down on their trust in Bortles by giving him one more safety blanket in elite tight end prospect O.J. Howard before declaring the Bortles era a "failure" the way that so much of the media already has.

#5. Tennessee Titans - DE Solomon Thomas (Stanford)

Don Feria - isiphotos.com

Current Depth (DE): Jurrell Casey, Karl Klug, DaQuan Jones, Angelo Blackson, Caushaud Lyons, Mehdi Abdesmad

Other Options: WR Mike Williams, Safeties Malik Hooker & Jamal Adams, TE O.J. Howard, Trade?
Acquired in the Rams' deal up for Jared Goff last season, the Titans seem fully willing to trade down once again and why not when you could acquire future first round picks of this caliber? If they do choose to keep the pick, Tennessee could see DE Solomon Thomas slide from his projected top three value to the fifth pick. The Titans would be smart to snatch up the best player available when they are so close to a playoff team and any minor upgrade could be a humongous difference in fate.

#6. New York Jets - QB Deshaun Watson (Clemson)

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Current Depth (QB): Josh McCown, Bryce Petty, Christian Hackenberg

Other Options: QBs Mitchell Trubisky & DeShone Kizer, TE O.J. Howard, DT Jonathan Allen
The Jets are an absolute mess and need a great leader in the clubhouse.  By great clubhouse leader, I don't mean a grizzly veteran that's never won anything  (see: Josh McCown, Matt Forte' & David Harris). The Jets and their fans need any type of hope for the future, something they have not had since Mark Sanchez was drafted. I have been saying since the college national championship game that Watson is a lock to be drafted in the top five so, if the Jets have a chance one pick later, they better send in their pick to the commissioner before they get the chance to outthink themselves and surround a mediocre quarterback with a strong team because they've been doing that for nearly a decade. 

#7. Los Angeles Chargers - DT Jonathan Allen (Alabama)

Cedric Mason - Touchdown Alabama Magazine

Current Depth (DT): Brandon Mebane, Damion Square

Other Options: WR Mike Williams, RBs Leonard Fournette & Christian McCaffrey, QBs Deshaun Watson & Mitchell Trubisky, Trade?
The only Los Angeles-based team with a first round pick, the Chargers don't need much from their current team other than health from a few key members for them to be playoff contenders again. The biggest need on their roster is a future plan at defensive tackle and luckily for new head coach Anthony Lynn, Jonathan Allen might be the best player available at #7. 

#8. Carolina Panthers - CB Marshon Lattimore (Ohio State)

Marvin Fong - The Plain Dealer

Current Depth (CB): James Bradberry, Darryl Worley, Captain Munnerlyn, Teddy Williams, Zack Sanchez, Tyler Patmon, Lou Young, Jeff Richards

Other Options: RB Leonard Fournette, WRs Mike Williams & John Ross, Safeties Malik Hooker & Jamal Adams, Trade?
I can see why everyone thinks this is the spot for the first running back to be taken off the board with Jonathan Stewart being the one pre-2010s RB still with his original franchise and no clear successor in Charlotte. This is still a team only two years removed from a Super Bowl and the main reason for their failures last season  (outside of lingering Cam Newton injuries) were the struggles of their defensive backs against guys like Julio Jones, Mike Evans and Michael Thomas twice a year. Marshon Lattimore has a sketchy injury history but the team did reunite with Captain Munnerlyn this offseason in case of emergency.

#9. Cincinnati Bengals - S Jamal Adams (LSU)

John Korduner/Icon Sportswure

Current Depth (S): George Iloka, Shawn Williams, Clayton Fejedelem, Derron Smith

Other Options: RB Leonard Fournette, DT Jonathan Allen, G Forrest Lamp, ILB Reuben Foster
While Hooker can follow the football anywhere, Adams is more focused on disrupting players and making tackles when nobody else on the defense could. George Iloka is already a valuable starting safety and with Shawn Williams not ready to replace Reggie Nelson last season, it would seem likely that Marvin Lewis seeks an upgrade in the defensive backfield.

#10. Buffalo Bills - WR Mike Williams (Clemson)

Jamie Squire - Getty Images

Current Depth (WR): Sammy Watkins, Andre Holmes, Kolby Listenbee, Corey Brown, Walt Powell, Brandon Tate, Dezmin Lewis, Jeremy Butler, Corey Washington

Other Options: WRs John Ross & Corey Davis, QBs DeShone Kizer & Mitchell Trubisky
Sammy Watkins should be one of the best receivers in the world but, injuries have destroyed him year after year. Last season was especially difficult for Buffalo when they needed to heavily rely on Robert Woods and Marqise Goodwin while trying to decipher whether or not Tyrod Taylor was their quarterback of the future.  This seems like the most obvious position-team draft fit among the 32 teams and GM Doug Whaley would be insane not to pick one of the top three receivers unless he found a QB he loves more than Taylor.

#11. New Orleans Saints - CB Marlon Humphrey (Alabama)

Harry How/Getty Images

Current Depth (CB): Delvin Breaux, P.J. Williams, Sterling Moore, Ken Crawley, Damian Swann, De'Vante Harris, Anthony Gaitor, Taveze Calhoun, Forrest Hightower, Jimmy Pruitt

Other Options: TE O.J. Howard, CB Marshon Lattimore, WRs Mike Williams & John Ross, Trade?
The Saints' defense has been terrible for years and despite promising improvement from younger players like Breaux, Stephone Anthony and Sheldon Rankins, they are still terrible as a whole. I'm not sure how the team completely cures their defensive ailments under Sean Payton but, placing one of the top corners in the draft opposite Breaux can only help. They may also look to ship off this pick for a Malcolm Butler or a Richard Sherman or even try to replace Brandin Cooks but, they need to focus on defense and let Drew Brees do the rest. 

#12. Cleveland Browns - S/LB Jabrill Peppers (Michigan)

Sports Illustrated

Current Depth (S): Derrick Kindred, Ibraheim Campbell, Ed Reynolds, Tyvis Powell, Justin Currie

Other Options: QB Mitchell Trubisky, WRs Corey Davis & John Ross, CBs Marshon Lattimore & Marlon Humphrey, OLB T.J. Watt, Trade?
Nobody knows what this front office is thinking outside of accumulating a ton of potential and seemingly grabbing players with highly-touted college careers. Peppers was a Heisman finalist for some reason and the Browns seem like a team that would love to try the safety/linebacker hybrid that the Cardinals and Rams have had success experimenting with. 

#13. Arizona Cardinals - OT Ryan Ramczyk (Wisconsin)

Dan Sanger - Icon Sportswire

Current Depth (OT): D.J. Humphries, Jared Veldheer, Ulrick John, John Wetzel, Cole Toner, Givens Price

Other Options: QBs DeShone Kizer & Patrick Mahomes, WR John Ross, G Forrest Lamp, OT Cam Robinson
Carson Palmer won't last forever (he certainly didn't last season) and while it'd be nice to get a project QB like Kizer or Mahomes, the stubborn nature of Bruce Arians might force the team to take one last chance at protecting Palmer before starting over again. Ramczyk is the latest disciple from the Wisconsin School for Offensive Linemen who want to block and do other stuff good too. He's no Joe Thomas but, he's better than Gabe Carimi. 

#14. Philadelphia Eagles - RB Leonard Fournette (LSU)

Twitter

Current Depth (RB): Ryan Mathews, Wendell Smallwood, Darren Sproles, Terrell Watson

Other Options: RBs Dalvin Cook & Christian McCaffrey, WRs Corey Davis & John Ross, OT Ryan Ramczyk, CBs Marlon Humphrey & Marshon Lattimore
The value of the draft day running back was never lower until Ezekiel Elliott revived the position last season. I see teams being more hesitant than most fans do this season. Fournette will get the Philly draft crowd excited as he is a step up from the mess they had last year. Darren Sproles will be able to keep his role as a change-of-pace, pass catcher and Fournette is the type of runner that will ware down defenses four yards at a time.

#15. Indianapolis Colts - G Forrest Lamp (Western Kentucky)

Hans Pennink - Associated Press

Current Depth (G): Jack Mewhort, Denzelle Good, Joe Haeg

Other Options: S/LB Jabrill Peppers, RBs Leonard Fournette & Dalvin Cook, DEs Taco Charlton & Derek Barnett
Hopefully, new GM Chris Ballard understands that his team must protect Andrew Luck at all costs by drafting an offensive lineman. If they feel like shoring up a respectable defense, they could also reasonably draft any position on that side of the ball but, Andrew Luck is the face of the franchise and they don't need a great defense to bounce back into the postseason.

#16. Baltimore Ravens - WR John Ross (Washington)

Jennifer Buchanan - USA TODAY Sports

Current Depth (WR): Mike Wallace, Breshad Perriman, Chris Moore, Michael Campanaro, Chris Matthews, Vince Mayle, Keenan Reynolds, Kenny Bell

Other Options: WR Corey Davis, RBs Dalvin Cook & Christian McCaffrey, OT Ryan Ramczyk, DE Taco Charlton
Losing Steve Smith Sr. is huge when you consider how absent Mike Wallace was from the end zone the three years prior to him becoming a Raven. Also, Breshad Perriman has speed but not much else whereas John Ross is the slot receiver this team desperately needs. His hands are far from perfect but, he might be the most explosive talent on offense in this draft not named Joe Mixon.

#17. Washington - DE Taco Charlton (Michigan)

Allison Farrand/Michigan Daily

Current Depth (DE): Ziggy Hood, Stacy McGee, Terrell McClain, Anthony Lanier, Matt Ioannidis

Other Options: DT Malik McDowell, ILB Reuben Foster, DE Tim Williams, RBs Christian McCaffrey & Dalvin Cook
Washington needs to shut down Dak Prescott a bit more frequently than they did last season in order to win the NFC East. They are in desperate need of a running back but, you can get a nice player like Alvin Kamara in the second. Until then, load up on defense while the rest of your division gets another year of experience on their up-and-coming offenses.

#18. Tennessee Titans - WR Corey Davis (Western Michigan)

AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

Current Depth (WR): Rishard Matthews, Tajae Sharpe, Harry Douglas, Tre McBride, Jonathan Krause, K.J. Maye, Eric Weems

Other Options: WR John Ross, DE Tim Williams, CBs Kevin King & Tre'Davious White, Trade?
If GM Jon Robinson was serious about acquiring Brandin Cooks before the young wideout was dealt to New England, then this team is twiddling their thumbs in anticipation for a new #1 receiver to choose. This seems to be the pick most likely to be dealt considering two wideouts are already off my board and the Titans need both a corner and receiver and could easily find each via trade. They may trade up or down, either way the Titan phones will be ringing.

#19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - OLB Haason Reddick (Temple)

Mitchell Leff - Getty Images

Current Depth (OLB): Lavonte David, Adarius Glanton, Cameron Lynch, Devante Bond

Other Options: CBs Kevin King, Tre'Davious White & Adoree' Jackson, RBs Christian McCaffrey & Dalvin Cook, OT Cam Robinson, OLB T.J. Watt
The fastest linebacker in this year's class vaulted up draft boards everywhere with his ridiculous combine showing. Outside of Lavonte David, this team has no outside linebacker ready to play every down. Reddick would cure that issue and cover the ground that David used to be 100% able to cover before he started suffering injuries. The Doug Martin issue is weird and may force them to take another running back early but, they seem to be a corner and a linebacker away from fielding a great defense.

#20. Denver Broncos - OT Cam Robinson (Alabama)

Matthew Emmons - USA TODAY Sports

Current Depth (OT): Menelik Watson, Ty Sambrailo, Donald Stephenson, Michael Schofield, Justin Murray

Other Options: TE David Njoku, OT Garett Bolles, DTs Malik McDowell & Chris Wormley
With Paxton Lynch and/or Trevor Siemian set in stone as the future quarterbacks of this team for the next 2+ years, it would be wise for John Elway to help them in the ride to potential stardom with a reliable offensive player in some form. The most sensible player to take would be a tackle to protect the quarterback's blind side and Robinson fits that mold. This is still a defense-first team however, and Sylvester Williams leaves a big enough hole that they might panic and reach for a player at defensive tackle.

#21. Detroit Lions - OLB T.J. Watt (Wisconsin)

Daniel Gallen

Current Depth (OLB): Antwione Williams, Thurston Armbrister, Brandon Chubb

Other Options: S/LB Jabrill Peppers, OLB Haason Reddick, ILBs Zach Cunningham & Reuben Foster
"De-fense. clap clap. De-fense. clap clap" will be the chant heard from wherever the Lions' draft party is taking place. This team needs defense and they need it in multiple forms (Ziggy Ansah and Darius Slay are safe). There has to be a team out there that loves T.J. Watt based on name-value alone and I would bet on Detroit buying all the way in on this pass-rush specialist with a late-first round grade.

#22. Miami Dolphins - CB Kevin King (Washington)

Lindsey Wasson/The Seattle Times

Current Depth (CB): Byron Maxwell, Tony Lippett, Xavien Howard, Bobby McCain, Jordan Lucas, Lafayette Pitts
Other Options: CBs Tre'Davious White & Sidney Jones, OLB T.J. Watt, G Forrest Lamp 
Originally Gareon Conley's place, Kevin King is a far less controversial, risky or allegedly rapey pick. Miami could go a few places here (see: Watt and Lamp) but, I think Kevin King is the safest, logical choice here considering weak coverage was the main culprit behind their elimination last season. Besides, Maxwell and Lippett were already two incredibly risky starters before the Steelers playoff game.

#23. New York Giants - ILB Zach Cunningham (Vanderbilt)

Vanderbilt Athletics

Current Depth (ILB): B.J. Goodson, Curtis Grant

Other Options: ILB Reuben Foster, OLB T.J. Watt, TE David Njoku, RB Dalvin Cook
Having just two middle linebackers on your roster with no idea how either of them look over a 16-game season is not a recipe for success. Hell, that doesn't work anywhere 99% of the time. Expect the Giants to fill the one hole on their otherwise awesome defense with either Reuben Foster (character concerns) or Vanderbilt's sleeper Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate Zach Cunningham. There are other needs on offense but, they have an offensive minded head coach.

#24. Oakland Raiders - DT Chris Wormley (Michigan)

Brad Mills - USA TODAY Sports

Current Depth (DT): Justin Ellis, Darius Latham

Other Options: DT Malik McDowell, ILBs Reuben Foster & Zach Cunningham, CBs Kevin King, Tre'Davious White & Adoree' Jackson
Few units were as disappointing as the Raiders' defense last season and losing Stacy McGee only hurts matters up the middle. Chris Wormley might not be the big name that Malik McDowell is but, McDowell has proven to be inconsistent and has some character concerns as well. Wormley is a safe choice with nice pass-rushing ability for a defensive tackle. Any defensive draft choice is a draft choice well spent for the future franchise of Las Vegas.

#25. Houston Texans - QB DeShone Kizer (Notre Dame)

Michael Conroy/AP

Current Depth (QB): Tom Savage, Brandon Weeden

Other Options: QB Patrick Mahomes, OT Garett Bolles, CBs Kevin King & Tre'Davious White, Trade?
This is an obvious fit if Kizer is not already off the board. They were a quarterback away from a possible Super Bowl last year and now they need to replace A.J. Bouye but, not as badly as they still need that quarterback.

#26. Seattle Seahawks - OT Garett Bolles (Utah)

AP

Current Depth (OT): Luke Joeckel, George Fant, Robert Myers

Other Options: OTs Cam Robinson & Taylor Moton, CB Sidney Jones, S Obi Melifonwu, Trade?
Insert the sentiments previously expressed on Houston but, replace "QB" with "any offensive linemen" and "Kizer" with "Bolles". Only Seattle knows how healthy Earl Thomas is right now and if they take his hints at retirement seriously, don't be surprised when they take the explosive Obi Melifonwu.

#27. Kansas City Chiefs - ILB Reuben Foster (Alabama)

Cedric Mason - Touchdown Alabama Magazine

Current Depth (ILB): Derrick Johnson, Ramik Wilson, D.J. Alexander, Khaseem Greene, Justin March-Lillard, Terrance Smith

Other Options: DTs Chris Wormley & Malik McDowell, CBs Sidney Jones & Tre'Davious White
No, Reuben Foster might not fall this far due to his diluted urine sample but, Kansas City is a perfect fit for him with Derrick Johnson on his last legs and Andy Reid as a believer in second chances. Mock drafts are an imperfect science and you may have noticed a few noteworthy prospects still on the board and yet, Reuben Foster is just too talented to slide into the second round unless there's more to worry about beyond his rudeness to medical workers.

#28. Dallas Cowboys - CB Fabian Moreau (UCLA)

Mark J. Rebilas - USA TODAY Sports

Current Depth (CB): Orlando Scandrick, Anthony Brown, Nolan Carroll, Sammy Seamster, Leon McFadden, Jeremiah McKinnon, Duke Thomas

Other Options: CBs Tre'Davious White & Adoree' Jackson, DEs Tim Williams & Derek Barnett
With the deepest cornerback class in years shriveling up on a day-to-day basis, Fabian Moreau is completely believable as a first-round selection now. Dallas really needs help at two specific positions they have struggled to develop at the past five years, defensive end and cornerback. Considering Alshon Jeffrey and Brandon Marshall's new presence in the Cowboys' division, they need somebody to cover those two. Moreau and White seem the most NFL ready at the position even though either defensive end listed above would be a nice addition.

#29. Green Bay Packers - RB Dalvin Cook (Florida State)

Lynne Sladky - AP

Current Depth (RB): Ty Montgomery, Christine Michael, Don Jackson

Other Options: RB Christian McCaffrey, CBs Sidney Jones, Tre'Davious White & Quincy Wilson, Trade?
My "Against The Grain" pick has Green Bay waiting on the deep pool of talent at cornerback and instead, jumping on a workhorse running back because there is no way Ty Montgomery and his sickle-cell trait can make it through all 16 games and there's a reason teams keep cutting Christine Michael. McCaffrey is totally possible here but, Cook seems to have the higher ceiling based on his Elliott-like running style. In all likelihood, they'll just trade out of the first round and think this over a bit longer.

#30. Pittsburgh Steelers - DE Derek Barnett (Tennessee)

USA TODAY Sports

Current Depth (DE): Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Tyson Alualu, L.T. Walton, Roy Philon, Johnny Maxey

Other Options: DE Tim Williams, TE David Njoku, S Obi Melifonwu, QB Patrick Mahomes
Derek Barnett was once thought of as a top-ten pick but, nobody talks about him that way today for some reason. I see Pittsburgh taking a chance on the former Volunteer because they need to develop a pass rush outside of geezer James Harrison. The Steelers are still one of the more puzzling teams this draft season and might even go with the eventual Ben Roethlisberger replacement here.

#31. Atlanta Falcons - DE Tim Williams (Alabama)

CBSSports.com

Current Depth (DE): Brooks Reed, Derrick Shelby, Adrian Clayborn, Jack Crawford, Martin Ifedi

Other Options: OLB Tyus Bowser, DE Takkarist McKinley, OT Garett Bolles, S Obi Melifonwu
Atlanta has nowhere to go but down from leading an evil empire 28-3 in a Super Bowl. The o-line was a big issue in the Super Bowl but, the defensive line is still not up to par and it should be much easier to find early-round talent on defense at pick #31 than on the offensive line.

#32. New Orleans Saints - TE David Njoku (Miami, FL)

Steve Mitchell - USA TODAY Sports

Current Depth (TE): Coby Fleener, Josh Hill, Michael Hoomanawanui, John Phillips, Garrett Griffin, Jake Stoneburner

Other Options: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, CBs Adoree' Jackson & Tre'Davious White, QBs Patrick Mahomes & Davis Webb, Trade?
Coby Fleener was supposed to replace Jimmy Graham? LOL. This team always reaches for offense even when they should go defense in the first four rounds, every year since 2011. Given the tremendous disappointment that the front office must have felt from Coby Fleener's extensive quest for mediocrity, they might overreact and grab the big-bodied David Njoku instead of continuing to add young defenders or trading the pick for a veteran or a higher pick.

So, enjoy the first night of the draft despite some of the uncomfortable, dark storylines surrounding it. No matter what, hopeless franchises will become hopeful with the reading of a card by a robot man named Roger. It's boring in theory and never boring in execution.

NBA Award Season + Playoff Picks

The NBA season came and went in the blink of an eye and that blink was way more interesting than the casual everyday blinking as the night-to-night box scores featured some eye-popping numbers by superstars on a nightly basis. The abundance of triple-doubles and 50-point games has led to the NBA dominating headlines even when the NFL off-season has been an unavoidable force during the Goodell-era. Unfortunately, this has led to some lazier headline stories like "Kyrie thinks the earth is flat" and "Are stars resting too much?" and my favorite debate of Harden vs. Westbrook for MVP. There is no wrong choice for MVP between the two, as long as we all have agreed to be anti-KD while his current team doesn't even need him for the best record in the NBA.

Complex

Even though the MVP race has been debated ad nauseam, there are other awards to be handed out in late June during TNT's first ever NBA Awards Show and the races are just as close and undecided in nearly every category. It's a seemingly impossible year for writers to fill out their ballots and even though nobody is asking me to, I might as well go through the exercise of filling out my ballot as well for the world (All 5 of you reading this) to see and criticize or lightly nod in agreement with. Here are my choices for every one of the major awards, a few minor awards and my picks for the first round of the NBA playoffs...

 MVP 

Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

1. James Harden (29.1 PTS, 8.1 REB, 11.2 AST, 1.5 STL, 0.5 BLK, 27.3 PER, 15 WS)

2. Russell Westbrook (31.6/10.7/10.4/1.6/0.4/30.6/13.1)

3. Lebron James (26.4/8.6/8.7/1.2/0.6/27.0/12.9)

4. Kawhi Leonard (25.5/5.8/3.5/1.8/0.7/27.5/13.6)

5. Giannis Antetokounmpo (22.9/8.7/5.4/1.6/1.9/26.0/12.4)

I had convinced myself that I would stick by James Harden all season once he started playing like Steve Nash way back in October. I went through much of the season loving every minute of Westbrook and Harden (two players I've been very high on, even when they played with KD and were slightly marginalized in the process) putting up triple-doubles until it was obvious that Russ was purposely aiming for the single-season triple-double record and then the novelty slightly wore off for me. Maybe I just enjoy angry Russ too much and watching him get along with Durant for even one second of the All Star Game just took a small bit of fun out of that rivalry for me, personally. I think I might just be the emotionally fragile cupcake that OKC has been referring to all season. I'm so sorry but, Harden made his teammates better and nobody outside of Westbrook looked improved on the Thunder. Blame Victor Oladipo for not turning into Dwyane Wade if Westbrook misses out on his most obvious chance at MVP. I was never as surprised by the triple-doubles as I was by Houston's compitence. In my defense, I've been claiming that Westbrook is a better basketball player than Kevin Durant for years now. 

Shout out to Giannis on winning a rock-paper-scissors match versus Isaiah Thomas, John Wall and Stephen Curry for the #5 slot on my ballot.

Rookie of the Year

Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports

1. Malcolm Brogdon (10.2 PTS, 2.8 REB, 4.2 AST, 1.1 STL, 0.2 BLK, 14.9 PER, 4.1 WS)

2. Dario Saric (12.8/6.3/2.2/0.7/0.4/12.8/1.0)

3. Joel Embiid (20.2/7.8/2.1/0.9/2.5/24.1/1.9, 31 Games)

"The President" Malcolm Brogdon was easily the most consistent rookie in the 2016-17 NBA season and he saved the Bucks from having to throw extra minutes to Matthew Dellavedova. Saric was better than Brogdon over the final three months and Embiid was much better than Brogdon over the first three months but, the Sixers are not going to make the playoffs and I needed at least 41 games from Embiid to consider ranking him higher than two other players deserving of recognition this June. 

Defensive Player of the Year

Brad Rempel - USA TODAY Sports

1. Rudy Gobert (12.8 REB, 0.6 STL, 2.6 BLK, 6.0 DWS, 23.3 PER)

2. Kawhi Leonard (5.8/1.8/0.7/4.7/27.5)

3. Draymond Green (7.9/2.0/1.4/5.4/16.5)

Draymond is still the most valuable Warrior in my eyes but, now it just seems like I've buried Kevin Durant so let me explain... I have yet to see enough of Durant on the court with the Bay Area's previous big 3 to determine whether or not this is HIS team or just a team of phenomenal complementary All-Stars where Draymond is the dam preventing a flood of points and lackluster defense. San Antonio and Utah were constantly holding teams below 100 points and the two most responsible for their lack of watch-ability this season are just as close to each other as the top two MVP candidates.

Sixth Man of the Year

AP Photo/LM Otero

1. Eric Gordon (16.2 PTS, 2.7 REB, 2.5 AST, 0.6 STL, 0.5 BLK, 13.2 PER, 3.8 WS)

2. Lou Williams (17.5/2.5/3.0/1.0/0.2/21.4/6.1)

3. Zach Randolph (14.1/8.2/1.7/0.5/0.1/18.5/3.2)

It was really to have two sixth man candidates play for the same for two months but, it's a blessing in disguise that it only lasted two months as both Gordon and Williams' canceled out each other's value with neither player seeming nearly as efficient as they were prior to the trade deadline. Enes Kanter still gets plenty of attention for this award as an offensive big man but, the man broke his arm punching a chair and I cannot support that shit. Z-Bo played more games and was less of a distraction while Kanter sparked pushing matches with Golden State and team furniture.

Most Improved Player

@Bucks on Twitter

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo (2016: 16.9/7.7/4.3, 18.8 PER, 7.1 WS & 2017: 22.9/8.7/5.4/26.0/12.4)

2. Nikola Jokic (2016: 10.0/7.0/2.4/21.5/6.7 & 2017: 16.7/9.8/4.9/26.2/9.6)

3. Isaiah Thomas (2016: 22.2/3.0/6.2/21.5/9.7 & 2017: 28.9/2.7/5.9/26.5/12.5)

A strange award that tends to rely on a player being mediocre one year, the players that made THE LEAP from solid ball players to superstars are all listed above. Isaiah was already very close to All-Star caliber last year and just lost out to Giannis in my MVP race while Jokic became an NBA God over the final three months with triple-doubles galore. Who knew all he needed was fellow dominant big Jusuf Nurkic to be shipped off? 

Coach of the Year

Pedro Portal/Miami Herald

1. Erik Spoelstra (41-41)

2. Brad Stevens (53-29, #1 in East)

3. Mike D'Antoni (55-27)

With honorable mentions like Quin Snyder, Scott Brooks, Jason Kidd and David Fizdale, there is no more stacked sea of nominees than in the Coach of the Year category. I ended up rewarding a coach that didn't even qualify for the postseason because I had the Miami Heat trying really hard to get to 30 wins WITH Justise Winslow. Winslow tore his ACL and the team let go of Derrick Williams (a real player now on a real contender) and they still finished at .500! Chris Bosh didn't even play a minute! I'm still not totally sure how Spoelstra achieved this feat but, I'm really satisfied to see him get full praise with the Heatles era long gone.

Brad Stevens managed to not rest his men and locked up a 1-seed while D'Antoni just gave James Harden the ball and outright banned the mid-range jumper in a glorious power move that would have made Sam Hinkie proud.

1st Team All-NBA
G - James Harden 
G - Russell Westbrook 
F - Lebron James 
F - Kawhi Leonard  
C - Rudy Gobert 

2nd Team All-NBA
G - Stephen Curry 
G - John Wall 
F - Giannis Antetokounmpo 
F - Karl-Anthony Towns 
C - Anthony Davis

3rd Team All-NBA
G - Isaiah Thomas 
G - DeMar DeRozan 
F - Jimmy Butler 
F - Paul George
C - Marc Gasol

First Round Playoff Picks
Warriors over Trail Blazers in 4
Spurs over Grizzlies in 6
Rockets over Thunder in 6
Clippers over Jazz in 7

Celtics over Bulls in 7
Cavaliers over Pacers in 4
Raptors over Bucks in 7
Wizards over Hawks in 5

And that's as much attention as I can pay to the NBA this weekend. Good luck to the team of your choosing and may the playoffs live up to the expectations set by that wild regular season!

Building an ideal schedule for Coachella 2017

I'm sure that there are better venues hosting music festivals in 2017 (there are a ridiculous amount of big music and arts festivals now) and I'm sure some of the crowds are a bit less hectic than the ones seen annually in Indio, California. It's certainly not the easiest venue to travel to for plenty as well but, the one thing Coachella still holds the title of being the "first festival" as it kicks off festival season and all of it's glory.

Lorde returns to the Main Stage three years after being the highlight of 2014's weekend.

The thing that really elevates how Coachella is discussed is YouTube's annual livestreaming of the first weekend (of 2) of said event on the official Coachella YouTube page. The many separate stages all have cameras and only three channels are broadcast (with some slight delays unless you are psyched for Little Dragon, whom perform on Friday and their set will air on Saturday), thus leaving a few great acts offline and disappointing fans at home. Ultimately, there are hundreds of performers, nearly 100 on the live feeds, some at the same time and a whole lot of tough decisions to make (unless you're like me and constantly flipping from channel to channel). Unfortunately, I could not make it to California this year (but who needs THOSE crowds?) and luckily for those that have the time or the intrigue, I'm here to sort through the mess and point out the acts you all should choose to check out this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.



Friday

Acts that will not be livestreamed but deserve some attention
Stormzy - Grime is finally crossing over to the US thanks to Drake's ridiculous popularity and recent co-signing of Skepta. Stormzy is the #2 name in grime behind Skepta and despite his lackluster album from earlier this year, the man still has bars and can get more than enough rowdy people on acid in a mosh pit.
Raury - The alternative hip-hop artist received plenty of promotion after his 2014 song "God's Whisper" attracted listeners of all genres and then released his debut album in 2015 that nobody besides me loved. The potential is certainly still there for the multi-talented 20-year old and there are more than enough "Whisper"-like songs yet to come from him.
The Avalanches - Considering it took them 16 years to release a second album, it is surprising that the hip-hop production duo won't be a part of the home-viewing experience.
Travis Scott - Rodeo may be one of the more critically underrated albums of the last four years and with a special guest or two, the Houstonian rapper should draw a wild crowd for the ragers out there that only use The xx and Radiohead for sleep.
Denzel Curry - One of XXL's 2016 freshman class, this 22-year old rapper seems to be headed for his prime and a rise in prominence starting with this weekend's set.

Livestreamed Acts that I will tune in for
The Lemon Twigs - A group of Queen wannabes that are operatic in tone and seem like they'd be a joy to see live if their set is as theatrical as the music,
Tennis - Adored their 2014 album Ritual In Repeat and they are finally getting critical attention with their newest album.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band - Every good day at Coachella begins with either jazz or reggae and I loved how they helped close out Arcade Fire's 2014 set.
SOHN - The English ambient music creator grabbed my interest with his early-year release while everyone else was recovering from the holiday season.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Psychedelic as fuck. Go ahead and laugh at the name because it is fantastic. The music will not leave you disappointed although, it may cause some confusion and a sudden desire for junk food.
Sampha - One of the better pure vocal acts showcased this weekend has a bopper of a song in last year's "Blood On Me" and can be quite eclectic on a song-to-song basis if he desires.
Bonobo - Friday is a bit lighter on EDM artists than I'm used to so, Bonobo should cover my desires for a light show and well-produced beats that escalate to no end.
Mac DeMarco - This weird dude became huge in the indie scene around 2014 and has such an odd stage presence to match some really great music with lo-fi production.
Broods - The pop duo from New Zealand blew me away with their debut album in 2014 and their 2016 follow-up was not bad either. Lorde fans will be pleased with this band.
Francis & The Lights - If Bon Iver started out as an electronic band instead of gradually integrating electronics into their folkiness, this is what Bon Iver would sound like.
Glass Animals - Coming off of having my #11 song of 2016, there's no way I'd completely ignore these guys.
Banks - Spacy chill vibes are welcome any night and with the sun already set, Banks will be a perfect transition into the twilight with songs like "Waiting Game", "Gemini Feed" and her excellent new single, "Crowded Places".
Mac Miller - Categorizing white rappers is a weird thing that we've been doing for a long time now (much like white wide receivers in the NFL) and it's never been something I'm a huge fan of but, this white rapper might be at the top of the white rapper game right now. (No seriously, Eminem's been washed for 10+ years)
Father John Misty - His album just came out last week and is a huge hit among critics with album of the year whispers surrounding it. He's gone from lyrically-gifted folk artist to an Elton John-inspired philosopher singing about virtual reality sex with Taylor Swift. He puts on a killer live set by the way.
Phantogram - One of those rare bands that went in a poppier direction with their latest record and it was actually fantastic as the influence of Big Boi paid off with their most consistent album to date. A personal favorite of mine.
The xx - Speaking of bands 3+ albums in with their strongest work coming in the past year... The xx are twice as chill as Banks and the production is better. Will Jamie xx break off and play some solo stuff mid-set? Tune in to find out.
DJ Shadow - Any chance at a Run The Jewels cameo is a good chance.
Little Dragon (STREAMING ON SATURDAY) - Another unique band with their electronic indie pop, the Swedish band will be worth the day-long wait as they may be performing a lot of new material.
Empire Of The Sun - Lady Gaga's only competition for costume design of the weekend. A very unique set will surround this easily digestible alt-pop band.
Radiohead (Headline Act) - If you're reading this and are unaware of the headliners, I weep for you. Please start with their 2000 album, Kid A.
Capital Cities - I was not high on this band until I saw them start a party among thousands with their awesomely fun 2014 show. They should also have some new songs.
D.R.A.M. - Capping off the first night of Coachella with "Broccoli" is too fucking perfect.

Radiohead is sure to have a long set with 25 years of material to work with.

Saturday

Acts that will not be livestreamed but deserve some attention
Bishop Briggs - An alternative artist that is mostly riding the hype of a year-old song ("River") recently featured on a Cold War Kids song and should be dropping her debut album any minute now. 
Mitski - The female rocker that I semi-regrettably omitted from any of my top music lists of 2016 is a star in the making.
Thundercat - Funky jazz musician with crazy style and crazier features (he was huge on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly and has a song featuring your dad's favorites, Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald), Thundercat's new album is one hell of an enjoyable experience if you just want to dip your toes into the genre.
Majid Jordan - Another duo with a famous friend (Drake), Majid Jordan should have been huge in America last year with how obsessed we are with the chillpop genre currently and "Hold On, We're Going Home" on their list of achievements.
Nav - An up-and-comer in the world of hip-hop. I am nòt the biggest fan of Nav but, this set might feature Future or The Weeknd and that would be pretty cool.

Livestreamed Acts that I will tune in for
Shura - For an artist born in the 90's, it is incredible how every song on her debut album sounds like a hit song from the 1980's.
Arkells - Despite their latest release, this Canadian rock band still have enough good past music to make a pleasant transition from one channel's stage to another.
Banks & Steelz - Paul Banks of Interpol fame and RZA of Wu-Tang Clan collaborated on album last year that was in heavy rotation among ESPN shows last year whenever they cut to commercials. For as strange as the duo looks on paper, just imagine how odd they'll look together on stage.
Local Natives - An indie rock band that I consistently confuse with another alternative band, Private Island. I can't wait until that moment on Sunday when I inevitably click over to their channel, thinking they do the song "Drugs" when that is 100% false.
Car Seat Headrest - Will Toledo dropped the #1 album of 2016, there's no way I would miss this set. I expect the live performance of Teens of Denial to not be a perfect product like the album but, that shouldn't matter.
The Head and The Heart - A nice little folk band that have had a song featured on every major network television show seemingly, TH&TH are a perfect band for that downtime when there are no other artists of interest playing. Being the elevator music of Coachella is not a bad role at all.
Bastille - Their second album was far superior to their boring debut and they have a nice collection of real hits now.
Two Door Cinema Club - A band that has aged poorly, TDCC still have a strong catalogue of music and strong singles and I still have faith in a rebound on their next project.
Roisin Murphy - I absolutely adore this eccentric electropop artist as there is no one quite like her. Her performances are known for including floating severed doll hands and her outfits are fucking intense. Murphy could win the weekend depending on just how weird she wants to make this.
Mura Masa - The young producer already has a banger featuring A$AP Rocky and songs featuring Shura and Charli XCX. I am extremely interested in his new material and upcoming album.
DREAMCAR - A supergroup featuring members of AFI and No Doubt. Gwen Stefani is not involved (obviously) but, Tony Kanaal is elite in his own right.
Future - mumblemumblemumblegarglegargle molly and Percocets. He's overrated but, imagine the guest stars.
Röyksopp - One of the more innovative production duos around, their live shows are supposed to be very cool. It's either them or 45 minutes of Future.
Schoolboy Q - The Blankface LP was a success and combining that album with his other work and some potential TDE guest cameos will draw a very large, raucous nighttime crowd.
Bon Iver - Rumor has it that their latest album is best experienced live and I do not know how that's possible since I gave 22, A Million an A+ grade last year. It was also my #6 album of 2016. I'm really beginning to question whether Justin Vernon can do no wrong or if I'm just slightly overrating the greatest musician in Wisconsin history.
Martin Garrix - Remember that song that sounded like a sped-up ping pong match? Yeah, I want to see thousands of people defecate themselves when that beat drops.
DJ Snake - Remember "Turn Down For What?" Yeah, I want to see thousands of people defecate themselves when that beat drops.
Gucci Maine - The Gucci Maine comeback from prison is something I never knew I needed but, the east Atlanta Santa is back and happier/slimmer than ever before. You bet he'll have the best guest list of the weekend.
Lady Gaga (Headliner) - If you're reading this and are unaware of the headliners, I weep for you. Please start with this year's Super Bowl halftime performance.

Replacing the pregnant Beyonce is the never dull Lady Gaga.

Sunday

Acts that will not be livestreamed but deserve some attention
Hinds - Fun new all-female garage rock band that's perfect for a mid-afternoon.
Lee Fields & The Expressions - My most disappointed response to a band being left off of the livestream was not seeing these guys on the YouTube schedule. Their latest album is fantastic and they seem like they'd be an awesome day 3 (when everyone's energy is drained and they just want to hear quality music) performer.
Lil Uzi Vert - He has the #16 song on Billboard's Hot 100 and a bunch of hype surrounding anything he releases in the hip-hop community.
HONNE - This electro-soul duo had one of the more overlooked good albums of 2016 and are very comparable to Majid Jordan.
Real Estate - Critically acclaimed indie band has a solid new album and have the experience to put on a high quality show.

Livestreamed Acts that I will tune in for
Preoccupations - Formerly known as Viet Cong, this Canadian punk band is one of the biggest bands in their genre right now
Ezra Furman - Another very fun performer with upbeat songs that would be a blast to see live.
Whitney - Day 3 is always the best day to fill up on some more relaxed performances as a way of saving energy for the closing headliner. Whitney had one of the best debut albums of the past year and will be absolute bliss as the weekend winds down.
Toots & The Maytals - Classic reggae gets it's annual representation in the form of the creators behind "Funky Kingston".
Goldlink - I much prefer all of the Goldlink features I've heard to the rapper's new album. The potential for greatness is here and a live performance might be his best setting.
NAO - This unique soulful vocalist will surprise with the many twists and turns her voice takes in the span of one song.
Grouplove - They have yet to release a bad album (there are 3) and they were a delightful watch the last time they visited Indio.
Kaytranada - Had the best debut album of 2016 and are certain to be an absolute blast compared to the other DJs playing this weekend.
Jack Garratt - This experimental pop artist has a wide variety of instruments and vocal tricks that he likes to pull out on stage. His name should be much bigger than it is in America.
Future Islands - Never a dull moment when Sam Herring gyrates about stage while growl-singing alt-pop as if he were summoning a demon to dance.
Kiiara - Another on-the-rise electropop singer that is known mostly for one song, "Gold".
Porter Robinson & Madeon - Separately, they would be fun shows to see and dance to. Together, I expect some minds to be blown.
DJ Khaled - Will he just Snapchat the whole show, yell "Miami!!!" despite being nowhere near Florida and bring out a boatload of his famous friends? Of course he will.
Hans Zimmer - A music conductor for many of the biggest films ever, I have zero clue what a Hans Zimmer Coachella set could possibly look like and am thrilled by the possibility of a Daft Punk cameo.
Tove Lo - One of the better pop stars we have right now, this woman sounds great live and has a tremendous confidence on stage that is topped by very few.
Lorde - Any new material would be awesome, considering we've only heard two songs off of her upcoming album. Either way, she absolutely won Coachella 2014.
Galantis - An EDM set that I'm very curious about as I have yet to dive into Galantis but, I have enjoyed the few tracks that I have listened to.
Kehlani - Kehlani is receiving a ton of praise for her debut album but, she secretly sounds better live and will be a pleasant energy saver prior to Justice/Kendrick. 
Justice - The closest thing Coachella will have to a full-on disco set. An absolute must-see.
New Order - Festival veterans, it's impossible for them to have a bad set at this point in their careers.
Kendrick Lamar (Headliner) - If you're reading this and are unaware of the headliners, I weep for you. Please start with his album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City.

With a new album dropping Friday, Kendrick is about to own Coachella weekend.

Do yourselves a favor and please, check out this weekend's live feeds on YouTube. Either way, enjoy this phenomenal weekend.