Yup your floor drains are plumbed into the bottom of the skimmer. If you completely close the flap on the spaceship looking diverter, that will force most of the water to be pulled from the floor instead of the skimmer. Do that and you can try to drain the water out of the hose bib ... BUT ... once the pool water level gets below the skimmer, it may start pulling in air instead of the water from the floor. So you have to watch to see if the pump keeps water moving. If the pump fills with air and no water is moving, you can ruin the pump/motor.
You need to open the basket on the pump as often as needed if it gets debris in it. And you need to also be cleaning the skimmer out as often as needed to keep it relatively empty. When the leave / pollen is falling, that may be a couple times per day.