NOW IS TIME FOR RESOLUTIONS.

Byline: JOE STEVENS

A new year is a time for ideals.

Many of us are poised to spout our resolutions, and most of us won't keep them. It's a sad, pessimistic fact.

Health-club memberships will be bought in January and abandoned by February. Others will throw away packs of cigarettes, only to puff away at the first sign of stress.

But let's say you're not out of shape, not a smoker and happen to be a millionaire hoop star. Then what?

There still are more than enough resolutions out there for everyone. And just in case players and personnel around the NBA can't think of them, here are some suggestions.

Eat your heart out, Dr. Phil, as this column goes self-help:

1. Kobe Bryant: Wisdom.

No athlete has been in the news this past year more than Bryant, and one way to cut down on stories critical of him is for him to re-sign with the Lakers. Under rules of the collective-bargaining agreement, the most money Bryant can make is if he stays.

A lot of noise has been made about Bryant wanting to go somewhere else, maybe Memphis or San Antonio, to have a bigger role and leave behind fellow arguer Shaquille O'Neal. But to go elsewhere for less money, better statistics and a lesser team just doesn't make sense.

He and agent Rob Pelinka need to re-assess their plan and have a pow-wow with Jerry Buss this offseason.

2. James Dolan: A balanced checkbook.

With Isiah Thomas taking over as president, practically everyone has been blamed for the New York Knicks' problems.

It could have been the cockamamie decisions of former president Scott Layden, the me-first attitude of former players, including Latrell Sprewell, or the coaching of Don Chaney. But the absolute biggest problem the Knicks have is their $92.2 million payroll, practically double the Spurs' $46.7 million.

Dolan and the Knicks took way too much time to figure out that, hey, the NBA has a different salary structure than major-league baseball and he can't pretend to be George Steinbrenner. By that time, Dolan was - and is - committed to spending way too much.

3. Tracy McGrady: A playoff berth.

After starting the season 1-19, the Magic have looked as out of it as can be. But in the weak Atlantic Division, they found themselves just 8 1/2 games out Saturday.

If McGrady were an absolute superstar, as he often is hyped to be, it would be nice to see him lift his team beyond its mediocre supporting cast.

4. Rasheed Wallace: A cheery public-relations campaign.

NBA players can be the most misunderstood species in the public eye, and maybe no other player is as misunderstood as the Blazers' Wallace.

His coaches love him. He's a tireless worker and puts his heart into basketball.

But he also can let out bizarre tirades directed toward the commissioner, get picked up for marijuana possession and alienate fans in Portland.

Put him on some 30-second Portland TV commercials and make him smile to ``Shiny, Happy People.'' It's time for a public-image makeover.

5. Donald T. Sterling: A sellout.

Not that ``The Donald'' has been sucking up to Clippers fans, but the franchise does deserve one sellout this year. Not even LeBron James got all the seats at Staples Center filled.

Without an established point guard or center, the Clippers could have been another laughingstock. But as they hover around .500, they are respectable and deserving of at least one full house this season (not counting their Lakers games).

6. LeBron James: Canonization.

Might as well make him a saint. He's gotten so many other accolades, what's left?

Actually, when you think about it, his advanced skills as a teenager are close to a miracle. He turns 19 on Tuesday, and what could be a better birthday gift?

7. Rick Carlisle: Another Coach of the Year award.

Who cares whether the guy has a jerky personality like ``The Great Santini?'' He's winning in Indiana and helping the Pacers rise to the top of the lowly Eastern Conference.

With no dominant team in the East, coaching could be the factor that puts one team over the rest. Maybe the race ultimately will come down to a battle between Carlisle's Pacers and Larry Brown's Pistons.

8. Mark Cuban: Ben Wallace, Ron Artest and Eric Snow.

OK, there is no way the Dallas owner will get those three guys to get his team to play defense. As expected, the Mavericks' experiment of ``Who needs defense, anyway?'' is looking awful.

Soon, Cuban and the Nelsons will figure out they really do need defense, and then the clock will be ticking for them to clean house - again.

9. Grant Hill: Early retirement.

What? Hill isn't retired yet.

No, the Magic guard still is on the injured list, rehabilitating his left ankle.

Over the past four years, he has played just 57 games with Orlando and is not due back anytime soon. He needs to officially call it a career, even though after this season he is signed for three more years at $47 million.

10. NBA fans: Playoffs, already, the playoffs!

Man, it's not even January, and the league's plots and subplots are abundant.

Will the Hall of Fame Lakers get it together?

Will the Spurs cruise in the Midwest?

Is Sacramento finally due?

The regular season has a tendency to lull even the most avid fan to sleep. It's hard not to get itchy, waiting for the postseason.

Patience is needed as more legal problems come out of Portland, more coaching changes come out of the East and we hear yet again how close Jason Kidd was to going to San Antonio.

So here's another resolution: to understand that all the teams remain works in progress. It would be nice to not hear anybody's predictions of a Lakers championship ... but that roster is just too deep.

CAPTION(S):

2 boxes

Box:

(1) WHATS' ON

(2) Daily News/CBS 2/KCAL 9 SPORTS CENTRAL POWER RANKINGS

- Ross Siler