DeMarcus Cousins had an incredible individual season on the court. While the Sacramento Kings crumbled around him and he battled with coach George Karl throughout the season, Cousins was a monster against opponents on the court. He averaged 26.9 points (a career-high), 11.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. He was just the second player since 2003 to put up 26-11-3 for a season with the other being Kevin Love in 2013-14. Despite his team winning just 40 games in 2013-14, Love's individual play got him placed on the All-NBA Second Team.

Cousins was awarded the same honor this season despite the Kings only winning 33 games. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team, finishing 40 voting points behind DeAndre Jordan for All-NBA First Team. But even with the honor of essentially being named the second-best big man of the season, Cousins doesn't like the voting process. It may have something to do with him being left off 36 of the ballots from writers voting on the award. He told Michael Lee of The Vertical that it's more of a popularity contest and a joke than anything.

Cousins believes misconceptions about his attitude and passion for the game were responsible for his omission from the All-NBA first team this season, despite averaging a career-high 26.9 points along with 11.5 rebounds. "I don't even know what an expert is any more," Cousins told The Vertical about the all-NBA votes. "I mean, I had some guys, didn't even vote for me, and that's absurd. It's a joke. It really is. It's a popularity contest. It's the guys who like them, it's the guys they like, the guys they get to see on a nightly basis. I still don't feel I get the respect I deserve. But I'm going to keep grinding. I'm going to stick with it."

Cousins received 32 first-team votes, 28 second-team votes and 33 third-team votes. But more people left him off completely than he was voted for any of the three tiers of teams. That certainly hasn't sat well with him and he's still upset about it. It's his quick temper or knee-jerk reaction to be upset about things that typically are held against him. Cousins has been looked at as difficult and a malcontent during his time in the NBA. A little bit of that reputation started in high school and when he was at Kentucky, but it's mostly been magnified in the NBA.

DeMarcus Cousins doesn't like the All-NBA voting process. USATSI

For Cousins, it's going to be tough to eliminate that from the minds and viewpoints of media and people around the NBA. Everybody knows he's good. There's no denying how incredible he is on the court. He was also drafted into a horribly chaotic and detrimental situation with the Kings at the end of the Maloof era, which was then followed by the more financially stable but equally chaotic Vivek Ranadivé ownership. The Kings haven't been a model for competence in Cousins' time and it affects his team's success and his own frustration levels.

There are people around the league that marvel at his production despite being in these bad situations. There are more people around the NBA that hold the bad aura of the situation as something either created by Cousins or distinctly worsened by Cousins. That may or may not be fair, but regardless it's the situation Cousins finds himself in with Sacramento. If he can lead them to wins, the stigma will likely start to dissipate. But if he can't and then eventually leaves, it'll be interesting to see who gets the blame for the destruction of the Kings franchise in the wake of his departure.

Either way, Cousins is too good and productive to not earn All-NBA honors for the next decade. At least for most voters.