Thomas Targeted in Book

A book alleges that some members of the Detroit Pistons’ 1989-90 championship team talked about a possible point-shaving problem because Isiah Thomas and James Edwards were losing large sums to gamblers with ties to organized crime.

The book, “Money Players,” quotes Thomas and Edwards as denying any involvement.

Russ Granik, the NBA’s deputy commissioner, told The Detroit News in a story published Tuesday that aninvestigation failed to find any evidence of point-shaving.

Armen Keteyian, one of the book’s authors, said quotes were used only from sources who agreed to tell their stories to the authors’ lawyers. Four of the sources were gamblers who said they were eyewitnesses to crap games at the homes of Thomas’ neighbor, Emmet Denha, and boxer Tommy Hearns.

One gambler, identified as an attorney, told the authors he saw Thomas win what looked like $250,000 one night, but saw Thomas and Edwards take a terrible financial beating another time. Another said he watched as Thomas wrapped $56,000 in winnings in a bed sheet and left a game at 5 a.m.

A fifth source was described as a former Pistons player who told Keteyian he and his teammates discussed the possibility there may have been point-shaving in two Piston games in 1989.

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Kentucky Coach Rick Pitino stopped by Boston to pitch his new motivational book and left saying he would not be back to coach the Celtics. “It’s not that I don’t have any interest in coming here. I have a lot of interest,” he said. “But I am infatuated with my players at Kentucky.”