It is July 8 and Carmelo Anthony remains a free agent

8 July 2014- Eight days since the arrival of free agency- I cannot say for sure that this will ever end. The troops quiver rancorously. Supplies are low. I feel thankful to have learned how to distill my bored tears into potable water during the great work stoppage of '11. Dispatches from the front are bare and serve only to further disillusion:

Carmelo Anthony agent texts he is not ``updating anyone'' on his client's situation.

— steven marcus (@newsdaymarcus) July 8, 2014

I fear we've reached an impasse-- a standoff, with one faction waiting for the others to act:

Popular question raised by last five teams I've talked to: Is Melo holding out in hopes Bosh goes to Houston so he can join LeBron in Miami?

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 8, 2014

We were once promised a speedy resolution, but that hope has long since faded. A message came overnight bearing word of uneasy vibes:

Vibe I get out of New York, meanwhile, is legitimate unease ... given that some in the organization expected a decision from Melo by Monday

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 8, 2014

Additional envoys visit camp with dispatches of questionable value, like this tattered rumour of commerce with Philadelphia that shrivels in the glare of logic.

Meanwhile, marauders from Memphis have their eyes on one of our own, although if I may, his involvement in errors past might make his departure welcome:

Brooklyn's Bobby Marks, New York's Mark Warkentien and Indiana's Peter Dinwiddie are Memphis candidates that have been previous reported

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 7, 2014

Also, I went on Will Leitch's podcast on Monday and followed up by botching some easy trivia questions.

I hold out hope for a resolution, but I fear I may perish first.