2003, after playing for many years in the Spanish ACB League and the North American National Basketball Association (NBA). He also came back to play for the club for the 2003–04 season. He dominated European competition winning EuroLeague Regular Season and Top 16 MVP. Žalgiris almost made it to the EuroLeague Final Four, but were stopped by Maccabi Tel Aviv, who tied the game on Derrick Sharp's last second three-pointer at the end of regulation and went on to lose in overtime. The season ended in a high note, as Žalgiris swept Lietuvos Rytas 4–0 in the LKL championship. 2004–2009: Post-Sabonis era After the departure of Sabonis at the conclusion of the 2004 season, Žalgiris faced a series of ups and downs. In the 2005 season, mainstays Tanoka Beard, Mindaugas Timinskas, Dainius Šalenga and new addition Robert Pack, enabled Žalgiris to have a respectable season. In the EuroLeague, Žalgiris finished the regular season with an 8–6 record, including wins on the road against heavy favorites Maccabi Tel Aviv and FC Barcelona. However, in the Top 16 phase, Žalgiris entered a long slump and finished with an 0–6 record. Žalgiris recovered on the domestic front, easily defeating ULEB Cup winner Lietuvos Rytas in the LKL finals with a 4–0 sweep, and also won the inaugural Baltic Basketball League (BBL) championship, beating Lietuvos Rytas in the finals 64–60. In the 2006 season, the team suffered many changes. Mindaugas Timinskas, Dainius Šalenga and Robert Pack all departed the team, and Žalgiris built a younger team while signing Ed Cota to return. With the emergence of Darjuš Lavrinovič, and strong teamwork, Žalgiris started the season very solidly, finishing the EuroLeague regular season with a 9–5 record. Off-court, Žalgiris had many issues, resulting in a huge slump for the team, ending the Top 16 phase with another 0–6 record and losing both the LKL and BBL titles to Lietuvos Rytas. The lone bright spot became the play of emerging point guard Mantas Kalnietis, who was signed both as a replacement for the released Cota and due to very poor play from new point guard and longtime NBA player Kenny Anderson. For the 2007 season they had a new coach, Ainars Bagatskis, but suffered a fiasco in the EuroLeague regular season, with a disastrous 2–12 record. After Ainars Bagatskis was replaced by assistant coach Rimantas Grigas and the signing of new point guard DeJuan Collins, Žalgiris