Williams received his first set of cortisone shots prior to the start of the season in late October and received his second set in late December. Williams and the team had previously not disclosed the second set until Friday.

Even though rest is the cure, Williams said he doesn’t want to shut it down.

“I’ve gotten frustrated some nights where I can’t do anything, can’t go anywhere, and it’s frustrating and that’s how you want to think, but I can’t do that,” Williams said.

He said his ankles have been bothering him since before the Olympics, but he injured them significantly during his second day of training camp with the U.S. men’s basketball team, when he was supposedly “out of shape.”

Williams used air quotes when he said “out of shape” during his availability with reporters after Friday’s practice, likely in reference to U.S. men’s basketball president Jerry Colangelo’s comment about him “being a little overweight.”

Asked if he’s in great shape now, Williams responded, “I was in great shape then too. You can ask anybody.”

He said his left ankle is more injured than his right ankle.

Williams got his first cortisone shot to ease the inflammation in his left ankle, which was caused by a bone spur. The next day, he got another cortisone shot in his right ankle.

Williams doesn’t think the bone spur is what’s bothering him now.

“The problem was I haven’t had a break in a long time,” Williams said. “I was doing plyometrics, box jumps this summer for the first time. I lifted heavier than I’ve ever lifted, and so I think all the wear and tear is what’s caused the inflammation, and I haven’t had a break to get it out. It’s just gotten worse and worse. It didn’t feel as bad because I wasn’t playing back-to-backs and four in five nights, then we got to the season. It just kept getting worse and worse because you have less and less rest.”

Williams said playing in back-to-backs “has been really hard for me this year.”

Despite being hampered by his ankles due to constant inflammation, Williams missed just the two games prior to the All-Star break as a result. He missed a third game Dec. 26 due to a bruised right wrist. He has also been bothered by quadriceps and shoulder discomfort this season.

Williams underwent platelet-rich plasma therapy Feb. 11 and took a week off to rest. He has since returned and averaged 21.0 points and 8.5 assists in victories over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday and Wednesday night.

He said he might need offseason surgery, “but hopefully not.”

Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo, who said Thursday that Williams isn’t going to be 100 percent the rest of the season, said the team will be monitoring its point guard’s minutes closely and resting him more before the postseason.

The 28-year-old’s numbers have been down across the board. He is averaging 16.9 points and 7.6 assists on 41.5 percent shooting. He has attempted just one dunk this season — a miss — because he has no explosion due to his ankle injuries.

“It’s been tough. It’s been a struggle,” Williams said.

Williams is in the first year of a five-year, $98 million contract signed during the offseason.

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An MRI on Wednesday revealed that Callahan has a partially dislocated left shoulder.

“Definitely could have been a lot worse than it was,” Callahan said Thursday in a video posted on the Rangers’ website. “After the MRI, we got news there was no structural damage, so it’s just a matter of a little bit of rehab, get some treatment and get back at it.”

Callahan suffered the injury during a fight with Maxime Talbot in the third period of Tuesday’s 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Callahan said he doesn’t know how the injury happened as he got caught in a wrong position while the two were pushing and pulling.

Callahan knew immediately that something was wrong and quickly left the ice, favoring that shoulder as he skated off. He applauded Talbot for recognizing he was injured and letting up during their tussle, and doesn’t believe that the surprise nature of the fight contributed to the dislocated shoulder.

“Any time you miss time, especially in a shortened season like this, it’s hard,” Callahan said. “I wish I was out there, but at the same time, injuries happen during the year and these things are going to happen and it’s just a matter of trying to get back as quick as I can.”

While he injured the shoulder fighting, Callahan has no hesitation about dropping the gloves again.

“It happens. It’s a freak thing,” Callahan said. “I got caught in exactly the right spot to have this happen, and fighting, or whatever it may be, is part of the game and if it presents itself again, you have to do it.”

After Callahan pulled Talbot out of a pile in front of the net, the Flyers forward dropped his gloves and went right at Callahan.

“Just unlucky, I guess,” Callahan said Thursday.

Callahan, 27, said the next few days will focus on allowing the inflammation to settle down, and then he and the Rangers’ training staff will focus on getting his shoulder stronger through treatment.

Callahan said he currently isn’t in too much pain, although the shoulder flares up if he moves it too much.

The recovery timetable means he could miss between four to seven games. If he only needs 10 days, he could return against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 10. If he misses the full two weeks, that could mean a return in a home game against the New York Islanders on Feb. 14.

Callahan last missed an extended amount of games in 2010-11, when he played just 60 after breaking his hand and fracturing his ankle right before the end of the season.

He has two goals this season, both on the power play, and will be sorely missed over the next two weeks. He’s on the Rangers’ second line, is great on the penalty kill and has proved to be the team’s top scorer this season on the power play.

“He’s a huge part of our team,” Rangers forward Derek Stepan said. “But everyone is going to have to step up, take a little bit of his pie and try to do some of the things he does. It’s going to take six, seven, eight guys to fill the role that Cally does.”

Added center Brad Richards: “Hopefully it’s short and he gets back quick. Obviously the mood around here is we want him back as soon as possible. Big part of every part of the game. Power play, penalty kill, 5-on-5s. That being said, we’ve got to push on. It’s part of the game we play.”

One player the Rangers hope will step up in Callahan’s absence will be Stepan. While he’s fifth on the team with four points, he has yet to score a goal. One of the Rangers’ problems this year has been a lack of production outside their top line of Richards, Rick Nash and Marian Gaborik.

“You lose a top guy like that, it shuffles the lineup. Gives other guys chances they probably wouldn’t get if he was playing,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said Wednesday. “I feel comfortable in us joining together as a team and trying to get it solved until we get him back.”

“Individually I’m still working on my game; I still got a lot to sharpen up,” Stepan said. “I think now with Cally out it’s going to be most important to really get it straightened out now.”

The Rangers also will be without forward Chris Kreider for Thursday’s game against the Penguins as he recovers from a bone chip in his ankle. He had a light skate Wednesday and also skated Thursday morning, according to reports.

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