John Stockton to Karl Malone, Utah Jazz: Stop Bickering

The petty war of words between Jazz legend Karl Malone and the team’s front-office has been an embarrassment for everyone involved, and John Stockton would like for it to stop. Per the Salt Lake Tribune: “After Karl Malone responded defiantly Saturday to a scathing blog post by Utah Jazz CEO Greg Miller, fellow Hall of Famer John Stockton suggested the two need to call a quick truce. If the verbal sparring continues, Stockton feared it might ‘tarnish’ what the organization accomplished during the Jazz’s decade of championship contention in the 1990s. ‘I’ve certainly been in disputes with people as close to me as my brother,’ Stockton said from his home in Spokane, Wash. ‘You get after it and say a lot of things. But I have never seen one [disagreement] that couldn’t be resolved by sitting down and talking to a person face to face. It has always worked for me […] What we all shared is so special,’ Stockton said. ‘I just hope this can be resolved, because it was a special time for me and for everyone. I’d hate to see anything outside the lines … ever come back and tarnish it.’ … Malone did not back down from comments he’d made about Jazz management’s handling of ex-coach Jerry Sloan’s retirement nearly one year ago. Malone contacted The Salt Lake Tribune to respond to Miller, who tweeted Friday that the two-time Most Valuable Player was dishonest. Miller later wrote in his blog that Malone was ‘unreliable’ and ‘unstable.’ He also detailed a list of personal grievances with Malone, some of which date back years. Malone replied: ‘I expressed what I feel, and I don’t regret what I said. It’s what I believe about coach Sloan.’ Malone deferred further comment until he had a chance to speak with Miller in person. ‘We’ve all become very brave when we’re tweeting, texting, blogging,’ he said. ‘We just write and press send. I don’t have time for that. Don’t tweet it, don’t blog it, don’t text it — give me a little human element. … I’m in town two or three times a month. Until I see him face to face, there won’t be any more comment about Greg Miller.'”