<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Some of the early mock drafts on various Internet sites have the Celtics opting for Brazilian center Tiago Splitter, a 21-year-old who this weekend participated in the European Final Four in Prague for Spanish power Tau Ceramica. But will Splitter be available when the Celtics pick, and will he be available at all? Splitter's agent, Herb Rudoy, said Friday that he would enter Splitter's name into the 2006 draft. ''That means two things," Rudoy said. ''That means we can keep him in. Or it means we can take him out." That about sums it up. Splitter withdrew his name in 2004 and 2005, so it would not be a surprise if he did so again. (Early-entry candidates have until June 18 to decide, and foreigners can withdraw their names more than once.) There is a sizable buyout in Splitter's European contract, which, according to Rudoy, has one more year to go. So next year, the kid would be more attractive from a contractual standpoint. Should Splitter remain in the draft this year, any interested team must be prepared to wait a year. But the kid has been playing professionally since he was 15, is a legit center, is one of the top players in Europe, is a mainstay on his national team, and just might be worth the wait for a team that isn't, you know, ''results-oriented."</div> Source
