Pump basket almost never fills

[Underwhere]

What you have done is block the output of your pump and adding more pressure to your filter, reducing the flow into the pool. That in turn has slowed the suction going into the pump. So now with the reduced movement of the water it is not picking up the air from wherever your problem is.

That's a good way of explaining it.

I think it's a bandaid...but I'm not picking up air and the water level isn't dropping.
I can inch by until the lines are replaced (when I feel like doing more digging).