EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — A day before Halloween, Lakers team employees were invited to gather for a costume contest in the team’s facility at noon. Staffers brought their kids to trick-or-treat around the office, and 91-year-old scout Bill Bertka donned a durag and dressed up as LeBron James. Lonzo Ball went as Batman.



Enlisted as judges for the contest were Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka.



Busy day for those guys.



It was on that same Tuesday that the Lakers front-office tandem engaged in a far less festive review, admonishing coach Luke Walton for what at the time was a 2-5 start to the season.



Details of the meeting, first reported by ESPN on Friday morning, were revealing but far from surprising. They reinforced the pressures the third-year head coach faces in his first season with the heightened expectations that come from managing a James-led team.



Sources to The Athletic warned before the start of the regular season that Walton...