Miller vs. Manley: Say what?

On the same day the Jazz kick-started stalled contract negotiations with free-agent forward Donyell Marshall, Marshall's agent fired responses to comments from Jazz owner Larry H. Miller regarding a couple of Dwight Manley's other clients, Jazz star Karl Malone and free-agent swingman Bryon Russell.

Calling Miller "a world-class negotiator," Manley said he told Jazz basketball operations vice president Kevin O'Connor that any contract-related discussions between Miller and Malone would have to go through him.

Having Miller negotiate directly with Malone, Manley said, "is the equivalent of having Larry going one-on-one in basketball with Karl."

Manley said he did not mean to suggest Miller could not socialize with Malone without first contacting Manley, something Miller seemed to imply in comments made last Friday to a Salt Lake radio station.

"I never did say that, and (Miller) knows that," Manley said.

Miller apparently feels otherwise.

"We were notified by Dwight that if I want to talk to Karl, I needed to do it through Dwight. That'll be a cold day in hell," Miller told KFNZ 1320-AM's Steve Brown, a Jazz-employed broadcaster.

Miller said the Millers and the Malones, who live close to each other, "have a relationship between the families that goes beyond just Karl and I . . . so, yeah, this hurts on a personal level."

Manley, however, was not moved.

"I want as level a playing field (in business talks) as possible," he said.

"But as far as having barbecues or swimming get-togethers," Manley added, "I hope they have a great time."

Miller and Malone, the NBA's No. 2 all-time scorer and a 17-season Jazz veteran, engaged in a war of words earlier this offseason: Miller first suggested the Jazz would not consider a contract extension for Malone until seeing how he performs in the coming season, and Malone later lashed back.

Last month, Miller said he hope to mend matters with Malone with a face-to-face visit, perhaps over glasses of lemonade.

That gesture prompted the response to O'Connor from Manley, who said Miller hasn't made good on a month-old vow to phone Malone anyway.