"NBA commissioner David Stern said Monday he wants the recent war of words between Jazz CEO Greg Miller and ex-Utah forward Karl Malone "put to rest."

Less than three days after Miller used Twitter to call Malone a liar and then wrote a lengthy blog post ripping the first-ballot Hall of Famer, Stern acknowledged it's been painful to watch their fiery standoff from afar. The commissioner wants their public dispute to end, and hopes they will unite in the future and find common ground.

"I'm looking forward to the next meeting between Greg and Karl," said Stern, during an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with The Salt Lake Tribune at the league office. "Not for the sparks that I expect will fly, but for the calming that I think will and should occur. Because [Malone's] meant so much to the franchise and the city over the years and to the Miller family, and the Miller family has meant so much to the franchise and the city for so many years.""