Utah Jazz: Greg Miller wonders how relationship turned 'sour,' wants to mend fences with Karl Malone

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Jazz boss Greg Miller held no punches while taking written swipes at outspoken Karl Malone and defending his family and franchise this weekend.

The Mailman started this latest Miller-Malone spat — something familiar in Jazzland when the late Larry H. Miller occasionally feuded with the power forward over contracts — when he recently went on 1280 The Zone and railed on the Jazz front office.

In his interview, Malone revealed, among other things, that he bought tickets from a scalper to attend the first post-Jerry Sloan game following the Hall of Fame coach's sudden resignation last February. It's been reported that Malone wasn't able to get tickets (or at least not ones to his liking) because the arena was sold out.

Miller, who also objected to Malone's portrayal that Jazz management backed Deron Williams instead of Sloan, went on the offensive via social media Friday night.

"Hey Karl — you're lying," Miller wrote on his personal Twitter account (@GregInUtah). "You have my number. Next time you need a seat to a Jazz game call me. You can have mine."

That was just the warm-up act.

Hours later, the Jazz CEO posted a detailed, caustic blog post at greginutah.com. Among the highlights (or lowlights, depending on your point of view):

— Miller wrote that Malone "crossed a line" by the way he portrayed his treatment by the Jazz at that game last year. "I can no longer afford to sit back and let Karl make comments that are factually inaccurate without defending the franchise and our family."

— Miller reflected on Malone's Hall of Fame career and benevolent acts, calling him a "warrior" and an "extremely generous person."

— Miller said Malone was and remains "high-maintenance," and referred to his father being forced to rip up six contracts "because Karl kept demanding more" and the "benefits were clearly there" because of night-in-night-out 25-point, 10-rebound efforts.

"The fact is Karl is still as high-maintenance as he ever was," Miller wrote, "but now he has nothing to offer to offset the grief and aggravation that comes with him."

— Miller continued: "I've tried to keep in mind the words of one of my mentors close to the situation who said 'Karl Malone is (a) giant pain in the (rear), but he's our pain in the (rear).'"