I don't see why you can't. A 3 footer is kind of big to start I would think. I got my kapok as a seedling and it was only 12 inchs or so now it huge 10 years later.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1305563}}

not sure if you already know but ceibas get huge.

heres one in Palm Beach (look at the coconut trees for scale)

the tree will just keep growing vigorously upright if you top it and eventually get root bound in the pot and break it or die if not root pruned. it would be a task to keep it dwarf and it would probably never be happy.

i would find a good spot for it in the ground away from structures and power lines or order a pink princess x ceiba hybrid from TT
{{gwi:1305567}}

planted ours about eight years ago, now well over thirty foot and growing. top six foot got knocked out of it by an oak tree branch falling, shot right back up another eight foot that same summer. think a pot might be out of the question. we went to 24 degrees this winter, some damage to the smaller branches.