Riley Is Already NBC Hit : Basketball: Network likes him so much, it makes him host of NBA telecasts.

Pat Riley, as expected, signed with NBC Sports Wednesday but not as an NBA game commentator.

In a surprising move, the network announced that Riley will be its NBA host next season.

The former Laker coach will appear on the NBC half-hour pregame show, plus halftime and postgame shows.

In other words, Pat Riley will be NBC’s version of CBS’ Pat O’Brien.

Terms were not announced, but a New York source said Riley’s salary will be approximately the same as it was with the Lakers, in the $600,000 range.

“It’s a very good offer,” Riley said, declining to give details but indicating that it is for more than the $400,000 reported by several outlets.

Riley, who resigned from the Lakers last week, said that when he first met with Dick Ebersol, NBC Sports president, and Terry O’Neil, the executive producer, he was thinking of a job as a commentator.

“Once they mentioned a host’s role, the light switch went on, and from then on the dialogue went in that direction,” he said from New York.

“This is something new for me, and I’m not going to be presumptuous enough to say I’ll step right in and do the kind of job Pat O’Brien did or Bob Costas (did),” Riley said. “I’ll have to learn a lot of the mechanics.”

O’Brien said: “Although I’m sorry we (at CBS) have lost the NBA, I wish Pat tremendous luck. He’s a good friend.”

O’Brien said that because he has two years left on his CBS contract, he was unable to talk to NBC about the job filled by Riley.

Riley’s NBC contract is for four years, the same length as the network’s contract with the NBA.

During a New York news conference, shown via satellite at KNBC in Burbank, Riley had another reason for taking the host’s role.

Touching his slicked-back hair-do, he quipped: “I didn’t want to mess this up with headphones. I’ve got to maintain my image.”

O’Neil said NBC decided to make Riley a host instead of a commentator to “exploit his on-camera ability.”

Despite his friendships in the NBA, Riley said he won’t shy away from tough issues.

“I’ve been around the league a long time, and I have a pretty good idea of what goes on there,” he said. “If there’s a story worth telling, we’re going to tell it.”

Despite speculation to the contrary, the deal was not made final until Wednesday morning, said Ed Hookstratten, Riley’s agent.

Ebersol said the network’s NBA game commentators will be announced later.

One possibility is Chuck Daly, coach of the NBA champion Detroit Pistons. Ebersol said an offer has been made to Daly.

“Chuck will be visiting the White House with the Pistons (today),” Ebersol said. “We don’t expect a decision until next week.”

Other possibilities are Doug Moe, coach of the Denver Nuggets, and Earl Strom, who has retired as an NBA referee.

NBC has openings for two commentators. One would work with Marv Albert, the other with Costas.

Riley, who was to appear on NBC’s “Late Night With David Letterman” Wednesday night, left today on a European vacation with his wife, Chris. The couple will take a Mediterranean cruise, then attend the Wimbledon tennis championships in England as guests of NBC.

His first NBC assignment will be at the McDonald’s Open Oct. 13-14 in Barcelona, Spain. The four-team basketball tournament involves NBA and European players.

Riley’s first regular-season assignment for NBC will be on Nov. 3. He said he also probably will be involved in NBC’s coverage of the 1992 Olympic basketball competition at Barcelona.

Riley’s contract with NBC is not exclusive, meaning he can work for other television entities. Two weeks ago, he met with HBO President Michael Fuchs and senior vice president Seth Abraham.

A few months ago, Riley served as the host of a critically acclaimed HBO special on the history of the NBA. “We talked about a variety of projects,” Abraham said. “We were very impressed with the job he did on our NBA special.”

Riley has also talked with John Severino, the president of Prime Ticket, about working with the regional cable network.

Severino would like to use Riley on Laker telecasts, as well as on a half-hour news show scheduled to begin Oct. 1.

Riley also has talked to Columbia Pictures about movie projects.

* TRADING PLACES: Former Ram Merlin Olsen, a football commentator for NBC since 1977, signs a contract with CBS.C4