The view from Tyronn Lue’s backyard in suburban Cleveland was Lake Erie, uninterrupted. On his perfectly manicured lawn sat chairs for viewing.



The house itself, which he rented, was built about an acre off of the street, not far from the edge of a cliff, overlooking the lake. It covered 14,000 square feet with five bedrooms and nine bathrooms and sold recently for $3.6 million. When one walked through the front door, to the left hung a life-sized portrait of Lue with former President Barack Obama. Next to it was a glass door to Lue’s private office. A winding, open staircase marked the foyer, which seemed to stretch to the sky.



“My whole career, my longest tenure has been in Cleveland,” said Lue, who played 11 years in the NBA and is now in his ninth season as a coach. “Being there the longest, I thought, well, maybe I’d found a home.”



Lue moved out of that house every summer, and back into it before each of his four...