Colin Cowherd gives no mention of Timberwolves as threat to Denver in the West

Remind us again who helped build that roster? Oh, that's right, current Timberwolves architect Tim Connelly helped build the juggernaut Nuggets. And Connelly already has his fingerprints all over Minnesota despite being only two years into his tenure. Look no further than the trades that brought Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Minneapolis. 

"They're high-IQ, huge, just enough depth, can be great defensively in spots with a bunch of shooters," Cowherd glowed about Denver.

Minnesota's IQ can be questioned at times but there is no team in the league bigger than with Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels and Kyle Anderson all between 6-foot-9 and 7-foot-1. 

And while Denver "can be great defensively in spots" the Wolves are the best defensive in the league by a country mile, holding opponents to 106.4 points per game. The next closest is Cleveland at 109.2 points per game. While the Wolves struggle at times offensively, they boast the eighth-best field-goal percentage and third-best 3-point percentage in the league. Shooters? Yeah, the Wolves can shoot – and they may have found a fix to their offensive inconsistency by trading for Monte Morris. 

"They're really built for the playoffs," Cowherd said of Denver. "Right now they're a No. 3 seed. I wouldn't take anything from that. When the Bucks won the title they were a three seed. Warriors have won a title as a three seed. The Spurs during Duncan's era weren't always the No. 1 seed."

Yes, but where did Denver win the title from last season? Quick answer: the No. 1 seed, which is where the Wolves have sat for a majority of the season. Right now, the West has to go through Target Center where the Wolves are 20-6. 

"[The Nuggets] actually have right now a higher winning percentage than they had last year," Cowherd continued. "So this team is stocked. They are perfectly constructed."

The Celtics, Cavaliers, Knicks, Wolves, Thunder and Clippers all also have better winning percentages than they did last season. All of those teams are in the top four of their respective conference. The only team in the top four with a worse winning percentage is Milwaukee.

"I think the West is better than the East. I don't buy Milwaukee right now. Knicks need another star, they didn't get one at the trade deadline, it's a limited team offensively," Cowherd said, failing to mention the Knicks acquiring O.G. Anunoby, who is a bona fide two-way stud.  "You saw it again this weekend against Boston, they just have limitations. Boston can make things a little uncomfortable. The Lakers they don't have a Jokic, they don't have the shooting. Phoenix I'm not sure they can figure out how to stop Jokic either. Golden State just doesn't match up with them. This team is really special."

Mentioning all those teams while overlooking the Wolves is a bit comical after how Minnesota has played this year and how the Nuggets were very public about the Wolves being their toughest opponent in the playoffs last season. 

The Wolves and Nuggets have played each other just once this season. It was a 110-89 Wolves win in Minneapolis in the fourth game of the season. That win kickstarted a 17-3 stretch for Minnesota, and they've been rolling along ever since.