LaMarcus Aldridge says he likes what he has seen from the Blazers in the preseason, both in the moves made by management and by the actions of the players on and off the court.

"This team is definitely better than last year," Aldridge said as the Blazers’ near the Dec. 26 season opener against Philadelphia.

"I like this team a lot. We have great chemistry," Aldridge said. "This is a team that is going to get along well, and I feel we are going to win a lot of games, too. We have all the pieces we need: veteran bigs. Jamal (Crawford) coming off the bench as a good sixth man. Shooters in the first lineup. Nic (Batum) coming off the bench. We have everything we need."