By Dustin Brewer

NBA Commissioner David Stern is stepping down after 30 years, the All-Star rosters have been announced and Kevin Durant chasing history are just a few of the things that have made this NBA season one of the most memorable in recent memory.

1. David Stern’s Ride into the Sunset- On Saturday, Jan 30 the NBA will say goodbye to David Stern, who after 30 years as commissioner, is retiring, former deputy commissioner Adam Silver will succeed Stern. Hate him or love him, the mark Stern has had on the league is astonishing. Under him, players average salaries have skyrocketed, the overhaul on the dress code has led to the outbreak of NBA fashion and the expansion of the league, now available in  215 countries will be just a few of the things we remember him for. Silver has some big shoes to fill. Thank you for taking the NBA into the promised land Commissioner Stern,

2. All-Star Teams- The 2014 All Star Game is going to feature a ton of young talent, representing the exciting and bright future the NBA has. Your teams are as follows:

West Starters: 

• Stephen Curry- PG
• Kobe Bryant – SG
• Kevin Durant- SF
• Blake Griffin- PF
• Kevin Love- PF

West Reserves: 

• Chris Paul- PG
• Tony Parker- PG
• Damian Lillard- PG
• James Harden- SG
• LaMarcus Aldridge- PF
• Dirk Nowitzki- PF
• Dwight Howard- C

East Starters:

• Kyrie Irving- PG
• Dwayne Wade- SG
• LeBron James- SF
• Carmelo Anthony- SF/PF
• Paul George- SG/SF

East Reserves:

• John Wall- PG
• Joe Johnson- SG
• DeMar DeRozan- SG/SF
• Paul Milsap- SF
• Chris Bosh- PF/C
• Joakim Noah- C
• Roy Hibbert- C

I want this game to start tomorrow. These rosters are almost perfect but of course there were a few snubs that outraged fans and analysts alike, most glaringly, the omission of Pacers F  Lance Stephenson, who responded to the snub by going out and recording his league leading 4th triple-double of the season Thursday night against the Suns. The elephant in the room though is who will replace Kobe Bryant, who was voted a starter and has said he doesn’t believe he’ll be able to play into the game. My vote here is for Phoenix Suns PG Goran Dragic to take Bryant’s spot. The Suns have been one of the biggest surprises of this season and Dragic has been at the center of it all, running an offense that just beat the Pacers in Indiana, a game where he had 28 points and 7 assists.

3. KD’s Scoring Bonanza- We always knew Kevin Durant was one of, if not the best scorer in the entire NBA. On any given night, he can put up 40 in effortless fashion but now without Russell Westbrook, who’s still out with injury, Durant has taken it to another level. Durant has eclipsed 30 points in the last 13 consecutive games, and is close to passing the record, 15. In that time, he’s put up a few 40 point efforts and just lead the Thunder in a blowout of the Heat in Miami. Always considered the NBA’s best not named LeBron, Durant is making a very loud and deserved case for MVP and if he keeps up this pace, who can argue it?

4. Uh-Oh…Cleveland- At the start of the year, many were expecting the Cleveland Cavaliers to be a surprise team on the cusp of the playoffs with signs of great potential to come in the future. But instead, they’ve just been the same old Cavs. The drafting of Anthony Bennett with the first overall pick last year has been a bust thus far as Bennett has made a minimal impact, the signing of C Andrew Bynum seemed like it could be a great decision had he stayed injury free but Bynum was traded to the Bulls after being suspended by Cleveland for conduct detrimental to the team. They even got Luol Deng in the Bynum trade and he’s yet to make the impact the team had hoped. Add all of this up and now reports are brewing that Kyrie Irving is thinking about an exit strategy. Considering that this team at the start of the season was touted as possibly having enough pieces to entice LeBron James to return following this season when he becomes a free agent, Cleveland seems to be pulling a Cleveland and missing another opportunity.

Stay tuned to HefferBrew for all the latest NBA News and coverage of the upcoming All-Star Weekend festivities. For now, enjoy this new Taco Bell commercial featuring All-Star Minnesota Timberwolf Kevin Love as he eats nachos in the most aggressive manner in recent memory.