Good Morning & Hello: A New Beginning at RaptorsHQ

Hello everyone. My name is Alex and I'm the new site manager here at RaptorsHQ. Yesterday, Adam Francis wrote a very heartfelt piece about the time he spent managing the site, and I encourage all of you to go here and give it a read.

Those of you who are familiar with me online probably know me better as steven lebron. For the many of you who don't know me yet, I look forward to connecting with you through this opportunity.

When Adam approached me with the idea of taking over the site several months ago, the first thing I realized was that I couldn't do it alone, which was why I asked fellow writer and Raptors fan Daniel Reynolds to assist me in this endeavour. It's fun to say you're the site manager of a team blog at SB Nation, but it's also a responsibility that I take very seriously. Adam has built something incredible here, and my goal -- along with the support of Daniel and all of our contributors -- is to continue fostering this community. In the end, I hope that this site becomes a landing spot for Raptors fans who come online for news, analysis and smart basketball discussions.

I've been a Raptors fan since the inaugural season, and with the 20th anniversary season just a few months away, we plan on using this site to not only cover the team in the present, but also take a look back at the team's history. This may include something as memorable as the team beating Jordan and the Bulls at the SkyDome, or a brief look back at the Nate Huffman era.

With some luck, we'll also have some very esteemed writers from the basketball blogging community making occasional appearances on this site. We're ambitious. We've got a plan, and we can't wait to share it with all of you.

Most importantly, we're open to feedback in order to make ourselves better and as a result, make this the best website possible under our guidance. If you ever have suggestions, comments or just want to say hello, you can contact us at RaptorsHQSBN@gmail.com.

Daniel and I have already started contributing to the site. Last week I wrote a piece about my trip to the NBA rookie photo shoot and Daniel took a look at the season ahead. We can't wait to make this a rewarding experience for ourselves and for the community of fans here at RaptorsHQ.

And now, here's Daniel with his introduction:

Hey all, I'm Daniel Reynolds, the other new site manager at RaptorsHQ. In lieu of doing a full-on Mike James here, let me just add that I am a Raptors fan, through and through.

When Alex and I first started talking about the possibility of running RaptorsHQ, the opportunity and responsibility almost felt too big. We were being given a chance to contribute, in some small way, to the history of a team we've followed for more than half our lives. But I knew Alex would have my back. Our talks turned from the magnitude of the operation, to instead, its potential.

So, we set out to assemble our writing staff, and started gathering ideas for what our ideal Raptors site would look like. We know we want to grow the great community fostered here by Adam Francis, and strive, as he did, to make this site the best place for Raps fans around the world. And if I know one thing about our fanbase, it's that they want to be heard. We'll be here for that, too.

With the Raptors about to embark on their 20th season, and potentially poised for a playoff run, we're looking forward to being there; to chronicle, to discuss, to argue, to complain, to cheer. Now it's time to get to work.

Let's go Raptors!