Update @ 2:12 a.m.- ESPN is reporting that the Cavs have indeed fired Mike Brown, according to “a source close to the head coach.” We’ll have more in the morning. Probably in the form of a photo montage in his memory. Because that’s my style.

One of the saddest casualties of LeBromageddon has to be the Cavaliers’ beloved, bespectacled coach.

Is Mike Brown a goner?

Those four words have haunted me since what I have affectionately come to call “the Boston Massacre” at the hands of the Celtics last Thursday. I genuinely believed Cavs owner Dan Gilbert intended to pull a “Phil Savage”—which, for those of you unacquainted with the heartache of die-hard Cleveland fanship, refers to the manner in which Browns owner Randy Lerner fired their general manager Phil Savage: Lerner officially axed Savage moments after our arch nemeses, the Pittsburgh Steelers, pummeled the Browns in yet another humiliating Heinz Field tussle. Which meant Savage drove himself home from Pittsburgh.

Must have been a long, sad ride through sticky-bun country.

The point is, I didn’t think Coach Brown would even make it back onto the bus to Cleveland. I mean that, sincerely.

Still, here we are, more than a week later, and the Cavs management continue deliberating whether to keep the most dashingly-dressed coach in the NBA. Seriously, have you seen his outfits? I keep hoping he will give some tips to LeBron that will prevent this from ever happening again.

But tonight marks an ominous deadline. If Danny Gilbert doesn’t fire Brown by midnight, a clause in Brown’s contract guarantees him at least $4.5 million. Gilbert throws down the money—anybody who’s seen the gorgeous Cavaliers training facility knows that—but this is an investment that is no longer reaping valuable dividends for him. If he’s made up his mind to fire Brown, I doubt he will be dawdling on that decision any longer.

The PD’s (excellent) Cavs beat reporter Brian Windhorst says LBJ hasn’t tried to influence Gilbert’s decision, although how he can guarantee that with any certainty is beyond me. I mean, you don’t follow him into the bathroom, do you, Windhorst?

At right: LeBron hugs Mike Brown. You know. In happier times. 2008, to be exact.

So in sum, it’s a dismal, despondent day. How does a man named “Coach of the Year” just a year ago now face the good-bye guillotine? This has been the trend with the past three Coaches of the Year, by the way, which is rapidly turning into the NBA equivalent of the Oscar actress/divorce curse (he didn’t deserve you, Sandy!).

Well, the primary problem is that Brown has proven himself a crackerjack coach when it comes to his defense, but atrociously bad at offense. With 272 wins since he was hired in 2005, he’s helped the Cavs make the playoffs every … single … year.

See, there was a time when I scoffed at winning teams who canned their coaches, mostly because these men had not yet delivered a championship. I would think, “Are you kidding me?! Your team is good! Do you know what Cleveland would give to have a good team?”

But now I have a good team. And I’ve had a good team since 2005. And “good” is no longer good enough. Especially when it comes to keeping the King.

What do you think? Feel free to post your theories in the comment section. And if you’re reading this after midnight, tell me whether you think Gilbert’s decision was the right one. Or just post pictures of Mike Brown looking pretty.

All I can say is, if this is goodbye, Mike Brown … I’m really going to miss all your snazzy outfits. Nobody is better at matching his designer eyeglasses to his ties.