It's back to the future as Malone, Greg Miller feud

SALT LAKE CITY —

Karl Malone is sounding off about being disrespected by the Utah Jazz, and the team owner is firing back. Meanwhile, the media are on high alert.

Isn't this where we left off in 2004?

It all started nine days ago when Malone went on 1280 The Zone for a four-hour session in which he covered a wide variety of topics. Trouble was, his recollections on the Jazz weren't the way the organization saw it.

He said Jazz CEO Greg Miller and general manager Kevin O'Connor failed to back Jerry Sloan the night he and Deron Williams had their fateful halftime blowup. Sloan resigned the next morning. But Sloan, Miller and O'Connor deny that's how it occurred. Sloan released a statement on Saturday saying he had "complete backing to run the team as I wished and was assured that no player could ever overrule my decision."

Malone said he would rate the Jazz management's performance that night a D or an F. He went on to say he had to buy tickets for the following game from a scalper, because the Jazz said they had none available.

"You never want to feel like you have to beg," Malone said.

A week later, Miller fired back. Using his Twitter handle @GregInUtah, the son of late Jazz owner Larry H. Miller wrote on Friday: "Hey Karl — you're lying. You have my number. Next time you need a seat to a Jazz game, call me. You can have mine."

Miller also used his blog, greginutah.com, to label Malone "too unreliable and unstable" to coach the Jazz big men and "still as high-maintenance as he ever was, but now he has nothing to offer to offset the grief and aggravation that comes with him."

He also quoted a "mentor" who said "Karl Malone is giant pain in the (rear), but he's our pain in the (rear)."

Looks as though Greg has finally filled his dad's shoes after all. Remember the times Malone chided Larry Miller for not paying him market value? The time he said Miller had barely talked with him all summer? The time he said he had played his final game in Utah?

In 2004 Malone called Jazz management "cowardly" and "classless" after the team mascot did a skit mocking Malone and then-teammate Kobe Bryant. Larry responded saying "I don't need Karl in my life" and referring to Malone's behavior as "kindergarten" and "rookie."