"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."

With Malone and Stockton as the foundation, the Jazz reached two NBA Finals and three Western Conference finals between 1992 and 1998.

Malone remains the No. 2 scorer in league history. Stockton is the all-time leader in assists and steals.

"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."

Earlier in the day, 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."