Although some on pprune will tell give you the idea that they are in the know the real people making the final decision seem to be the quintessential procrastinators or at least they excel in that area...
Perhaps,if the A380 had been delayed even further than it was and there were no other alternatives from Airbus the 777 might have been ordered.I think every aircraft that is even remotely viable would be looked at.
Although Skystar 320 is an expert on the 777 and the alternatives and thinks that pigs fly only a few select people will ever know how close the orders were and if they were ever considering the 777 seriously...