“Forks need to be heavy, he told his small audience, which included Chris Sharples, the architect in charge of designing a block of luxury suites at Barclays Center that would bear the rap impresario's imprint. Forks, Jay-Z said, need to have substance. A plastic fork? Please. Even stainless steel was out of the question.”

Forks. Jay-Z is worried about forks. That sh*t cray. But not only is he pining over the flatwear, Jigga is making sure that the liquor being poured is handpicked and the décor fits his high standards. For those who have been following this story, you shouldn't be too surprised with his hands on approach as he's reportedly been involved with everything from the Nets' new uniforms, logo and team colors; all of which will be unveiled this Spring.

This September, Hova will celebrate the opening of the new arena with a concert. Yeah, he's involved. However, it's still not known exactly what his ownership percentage is. Either way, he's making sure his fingerprints are all over this one. If he doesn't have a huge stake in the Brooklyn Nets it will surely feel like it.
The luxury suites are kind of like a big deal; especially when you consider that Jay-Z will be one of the eleven tenants. No wonder why he's so interested in the details. One small problem, what about the 99% of Nets fans who can't afford these luxuries? Well, there will be 2,000 tickets priced at $15 or less. No, there will be no champagne and high end silverware. You'll just have to make due with an overpriced Bud Light and a plastic fork for your chili cheese fries. Nevertheless, you can say that you shared a building with Jay-Z and a bunch of snooty rich folks.

Now, whether or not all these luxuries will equate to the Nets making the playoffs is a different story. But whoever is sitting in these suites sipping on $300 bottles of Armand de Brignac, surrounded by shimmering black metallic décor and eating their meal with the finest of flatwear, do you think they'll care whether or not the Nets are getting blown out? Probably not.

Enjoy the show.

Dr. J's 'Rock The Cradle' over Michael Cooper

Shawn Kemp over Alton Lister

Kevin Johnson over "Hot Rod" Williams

John Starks over The Bulls

As J.R.'s team faced off against the Tianjin Ronggang Golden Lions, fans were allegedly heckling the New Jersey native as he shot free throws. Along with the heckling, Thunderstix were reportedly thrown onto the court, which led to J.R.'s girlfriend getting into a shoving match with Tianjin fans, while J'R's sister showed them which player she thought was "Number One," twice.

Stephanie took to Twitter to defend herself, and attempted to clarify the situation. Even though she may not have caused the fight this time, she's no stranger to conflict regarding Chinese onlookers. In a previous situation, after J.R. was fouled, his sister threw a bottle onto the court, then proceeded to choke a woman, and shove an 80 year old man. The game followed a 45 minute delay in J.R.'s team leaving the arena, as the opposing team, the Bayi Rockets (the Chinese team that fought the Georgetown Hoyas) demanded an apology, and held up the Rockets' team bus.

J.R. has been itching to get back to the States, and back into the NBA. However, the stipulation with players signing to overseas contracts with Chinese teams was there'd be no "buy out" for players in case the NBA Lockout was resolved before the end of the Chinese season. It remains to be seen if this latest incident will be the last straw in Smith's dismissal from the team or not. Smith's sister Stephanie, or "Ton of Bricks," as she's known in China, could in fact be attempting to aid this process, but who knows. Hopefully J.R. can continue to ball out for his team, and possibly win a championship before returning to the states, where he's rumored to be seeking a deal with the New York Knicks.

Continue on for pics of this most recent fight, as well as pics from the first, which Stephanie earned the nickname, "Ton of Bricks."

Begin with the intro, then proceed on to hear Weezy's take on the NBA, NFL, MLB, NCAA basketball & football, as well as some skateboarding news.

It's also believed that Paul has opted in for next year, guaranteeing he'll play with Blake Griffin for the next two seasons, at least.

Clippers Projected Starting Lineup:

Chris Paul

Randy Foye

Caron Butler

Blake Griffin

DeAndre Jordan

Source: Marc Stein on Twitter

The fallout from that particular deal now had CP3 headed BACK to L.A., but in a different uniform.  The current deal being discussed involves The Clippers sending Chris Kaman, Eric Bledsoe, Al-Faroq Aminu & Two Future 1st Round Picks to New Orleans for CP3, and my guess, Trevor Ariza or Marco Bellinelli.

This would leave the Clippers with a projected lineup of, PG Chris Paul, SG Eric Gordon, SF Caron Butler (newly signed), PF Blake Griffin, C DeAndre Jordan.  That lineup is Crazy!

Further fallout from the CP3 fiasco now has the L.A. Lakers focusing on acquiring Dwight Howard, who formally requested a trade to the New Jersey Nets.  The Nets have offered Brook Lopez & 2 First Round Picks for Howard.  The Magic have asked the Lakers for both Andrew Bynum & Pau Gasol, which the Lakers have refused.

More Moves & Rumors...

T.J. Ford has officially signed with the Spurs.

Rasual Butler has agreed to a one-year contract with the Raptors.

Keyon Dooling has officially signed with the Celtics.

Mike Dunleavy officially signed with the Bucks on Saturday in what is believed to be a two-year, $7.5 deal.

Josh Howard has reportedly received an official offer from the Jazz.  He's said that he would like to join Nene in Denver or New Jersey.

The Heat have officially signed Eddy Curry.

Rip Hamilton and the Bulls are "closing in" on a two-year contract agreement.

Chauncey Billups delivered a tirade about his amnesty situation to Yahoo! Sports warning teams that he doesn't want to be claimed off waivers.

"I'm tired of being the good guy," said Billups. "After a while, you just kind of get taken advantage of in these situations ... a leader can be as disruptive as he can be productive ... I may just retire if I don't get my freedom here."

There are rumors that Billups wants to join the Heat.

The Knicks have completed a three-team deal with Dallas and Washington that will send C Tyson Chandler to the Knicks, F/C Ronny Turiaf to the Wizards and G Andy Rautins to the Mavericks.  The Knicks will send Turiaf, a 2013 second-round pick and cash to Wizards for Chandler and the rights to Ahmad Nivins and Giorgos Printezis. The Mavs get Andy Rautins and a protected 2012 second-round pick from the Wizards.

The Celtics have officially re-signed Jeff Green.

PG Mike Bibby agreed to a one-year deal with the Knicks at the veteran's minimum of $1.4 million on Saturday.

SG Jason Richardson signed a four-year, $25 million deal with the Magic on Saturday.

PG Jamaal Tinsley officially signed with the Jazz on Saturday.

The Lakers contacted the Warriors with a potential trade offer including Pau Gasol, and in exchange they asked for Stephen Curry and some combination of Dorell Wright, Klay Thompson, and Ekpe Udoh.  Curry and others would then be sent to the Hornets in the Chris Paul deal. - This deal never had any legitimacy, and the Lakers have since been said to have "moved on" from a Chris Paul deal.

The Knicks and Wolves are reportedly in pursuit of free agent guard J.J. Barea.

Lamar Odom is headed to Dallas along with the Lakers 2012 second round pick for Dallas' first round pick and an $8.9 million trade exception.

"I don't like it," said Bryant. "To be honest with you, I don't like it."

Ric Bucher of ESPN told readers to expect the Clippers to match the front-loaded four-year, $40 million offer made to restricted free agentDeAndre Jordan by the Warriors.

Shannon Brown signed a one-year deal with the Suns on Saturday.

The Bulls' ability to sign Dwight Howard is limited by uncertainty as to whether he would sign an extension in Chicago.  The Bulls could useJoakim Noah as the centerpiece of a deal to land Howard, along with other young talent, but they won't consider the move unless Dwightindicates he'd extend his contract.

The Timberwolves are reportedly interested in trading for Kevin Martin.

The Pacers and Grizzlies are working on a sign-and-trade deal involving O.J. Mayo and free agent Josh McRoberts.

The Warriors have used the amnesty clause on Charlie Bell.

The Grizzlies "are expected" to match the four-year, $55 million offer sheet from the Rockets for Marc Gasol.

David West has signed a two-year, $20 million contract with the Indiana Pacers.

Dwight Howard said on Sunday that he demanded a trade from the Magic because the team didn't act on his personnel recommendations.

The Hawks are interested in Chauncey Billups, if he clears waivers.  Gilbert Arenas is also on their radar, and has already cleared waivers.Arenas wants to play with Dwight Howard, and now it's revealed that Deron Williams inquired about Arenas earlier this week.  WhileBillups is ticked off and considering retirement.

The Suns have officially re-signed G/F Grant Hill.

Nene will either land in Denver, New Jersey or Houston, according to Marc Stein.

Source: SI.com

The NBPA has officially re-formed as a union, allowing them to ratify the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Source: Alan Hahn on Twitter

Josh Howard's representatives have had conversations with the Bulls, Wizards, Celtics, Nets, Nuggets, Hornets, Spurs and Hawks.

Source: Chris Broussard on Twitter

The Raptors "intend to lodge serious bids for Nene, [Tyson] Chandler and ... Marc Gasol," according to ESPN.

Source: Edmonton Sun

According to his agent, free agent big man Chuck Hayes is being pursued by the Trailblazers, Raptors, Rockets, Kings and Timberwolves.

Source: MyFOXHouston.com

The NBA regular-season schedule is set to be released live on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on NBA TV.

Source: Ira Winderman on Twitter

The Cleveland Plain Dealer said Thursday that there is about a "60 percent" chance that the Cavs will not use amnesty on Baron Davis, and that No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving will start alongside Davis.

Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer on Twitter

ESPN's Marc Stein said Thursday that there is a growing sense among NBA executives that the Magic will trade Dwight Howard before the season starts.

Source: Marc Stein on Twitter

The Jazz have expressed "initial exploratory interest" in free agents Sebastian Telfair, Rasual Butler, and Roger Mason.

Source: Salt Lake Tribune

CSN New England's Donny Marshall reported Thursday that his sources say Rajon Rondo "might have started to wear out his welcome (in Boston) a little bit."

Source: ProBasketballTalk.com

Multiple reports surfaced that the Clippers have reached out to free agent Tayshaun Prince, and in that scenario Chris Kaman could be sent to the Pistons in a sign-and-trade deal.

Source: Detroit News

If the Hornets are forced into trading Chris Paul, Stephen Curry is a player they'd reportedly be interested in.

Source: Tim Kawakami on Twitter

The Mavericks are not expected to use amnesty to waive center Brendan Haywood despite owing him $45 million over the next five years.

Source: David Aldridge on Twitter

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Caron Butler's "preferred" destinations are the Clippers and Bulls.

Source: Yahoo! Sports

The Clippers will match any offer restricted free agent DeAndre Jordan receives, according to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Restricted free agent Nick Young is drawing interest from the Bulls, Hornets and Nuggets in addition to the Wizards.

Source: Yahoo! Sports

The Heat, Bulls, Celtics and Knicks all have Michael Redd on the radar

Source: Journal Times

Unrestricted free agent Jamal Crawford has received interest from the Nets, Hornets, Bulls, Heat, Lakers, Mavericks, Suns and Trail Blazers.

Source: Hoopsworld

Free agent combo guard Tracy McGrady said that he would like to play for the Bulls in a report released Wednesday.

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that Josh Smith is still interested in a trade out of Atlanta.

Source: Yahoo! Sports

The Nets and Pacers joined a growing list of teams that are interested in free agent PF/C Nene in a report released Wednesday.

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Lakers executive Jim Buss says he's no longer opposed to trading Andrew Bynum, but only for what he calls "the right deal."  A possible 3-Team Deal suggested has Milwaukee sending Andrew Bogut to Orlando and Bynum to Milwaukee, with Howard ending up in L.A.

Source: CBS Sports

The Knicks are reportedly interested in SF Grant Hil.

Source: Alex Kennedy on Twitter

Multiple sources have rebuked Ric Bucher's report that the Warriors and Grizzlies had discussed a Rudy Gay for Monta Ellis deal

Source: J. Michael Falgoust on Twitter

Blazers' president Larry Miller said on Wednesday that "there will be no decision on Brandon Roy until we take a closer look at him" in regards to waiving him using the amnesty clause.

Source: Pinwheel Empire on Twitter

The Knicks have reportedly shown interest in acquiring Cavs guard Ramon Sessions.
Source: FOX Sports Ohio

Free agent forward David West is drawing interest from multiple teams, including the Pacers, Warriors and Wizards.
Source: Sam Amick on Twitter

Orlando GM Otis Smith wouldn't rule out the possibility of trading Dwight Howard. "I think you have to look at everything," Smith said, adding that "I don't think you can take anything out of consideration."
Source: Orlando Sentinel

Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio reports that the Cavs are planning to offer Anthony Parker a multi-year deal.
Source: Sam Amico on Twitter

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports that six teams have shown interested in unrestricted free agent Caron Butler. Those teams are the Nets, Clippers, Bulls, Heat, Spurs and Knicks.
Source: Ken Berger on Twitter

Free agent forward David West is drawing interest from multiple teams, including the Pacers, Warriors and Wizards

Source: Sam Amick on Twitter

The Boston Celtics could be interested in signing unrestricted free agent Chuck Hayes.
Source: Sean Deveney on Twitter

Oklahoma City is reportedly attempting to buy out Nate Robinson

Source: J. Michael Falgoust on Twitter

Portland, New Orleans, Indiana and Boston have reportedly shown "very real interest" in free agent Carl Landry.

Source: Sam Amick on Twitter

The 76ers are reportedly planning to match any "reasonable" offer they get for restricted free agent Thaddeus Young.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer & Daily News

Here's the current buzz around the league.

Chris Paul is unwilling to sign a long-term extension with the Boston Celtics, according to ESPN's Chris Broussard.

Source: Chris Broussard on Twitter

The Boston Celtics reportedly offered Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green to the Thunder in exchange for Kendrick Perkins and Russell Westbrook after the 2011 postseason.

Source: ESPN Boston

Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday that the Pacers are interested in Rajon Rondo and have discussed the preliminary framework of a deal with the Celtics, but are looking for a third team to help facilitate a trade.

Source: Yahoo! Sports

ESPN's Marc Stein reported Tuesday that the Nets will be offering Brook Lopez and two future first-round picks to try to acquire superstar center Dwight Howard.

Source: ESPN