CP3: Disrespect Carmelo receives is 'unbelievable'

Chris Paul is ready to go to bat for his new Houston Rockets teammate Carmelo Anthony, who Paul feels is unjustly criticized.

"Obviously I'm a little biased because that's one of my closest friends," Paul said during an appearance on ESPN's "The Jump" on Friday. "But, you know, the disrespect that comes at him at times is unbelievable, you know what I mean? So for us, having one of the best players to ever play the game on our team, that's a no-brainer.

"I think that's up for all of us, you know, some of the smartest guys to play the game, to figure out how to make it work."

Anthony's stock took a hit last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 34-year-old contributed career-low numbers in points, minutes, assists, steals, true shooting percentage, player efficiency rating, usage rate, and value over replacement while playing alongside Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

He said back in July that it "wasn't a good fit" with Oklahoma City, noting how he joined the team from the New York Knicks the day before the Thunder's training camp began and that everything felt rushed.

Now a member of the Rockets after accepting a contract buyout with the Atlanta Hawks, Anthony will have to make adjustments once again as part of an isolation-heavy offense that revolves around Paul and James Harden.

Related - Report: D'Antoni strongly considering benching Anthony in favor of Gordon

"I think we just hoop. I think that's been the cool thing about bringing in different players that have played in different systems," Paul added when asked about incorporating Anthony. "Hell, me last year. I came into a different situation. I had seen it. Coach had talked about it. But it's a different thing to play within the system.

"With Melo, we just hoop, you know what I mean? If you're open you shoot it. If not, you pass it, you dribble - it's a fun way to play basketball."